League of Women Voters of Utah Water Study September 2009

Transcription

1 LeagueofWomenVotersofUtahWaterStudy September2009 TheLeagueofWomenVotersisanonpartisanpoliticalorganizationthatencouragesinformedand activeparticipationingovernment,workstoincreaseunderstandingofmajorpublicpolicyissues,and influencespublicpolicythrougheducationandadvocacy.

2 StudyCommittee LynnCarroll AnnO Connell MarilynO Dell AnnWechsler StudyEditors Interviews GenevieveAtwood MarieFulmer AliceSteiner RichardBaye,GeneralManager/CEO,JordanValleyWaterDistrict RichardJewell,Ph.D,UniversityofUtahDepartmentofGeologyandGeophysics KentL.Jones,P.E.,StateEngineer,DirectoroftheUtahDivisionofWaterRights JeffNiermeyer,Director,SaltLakeDepartmentofPublicUtilities DennisStrong,Director,DivisionofWaterResources

3 ReadingInstructions Herearesomesuggestionsforabsorbingthematerial.However,wecannottellyouwhichsectionsare themostimportantforyoutoread.thatdependsuponwhatyoualreadyknow. 1.ReadandpondertheExecutiveSummary. 2.ReadtheDiscussionandConsensusQuestionsandpickaconsensusquestionaboutwhichyoualready haveastrongopinion.thencontemplatethepossibilityofchangingyourmind. 3.Nowtakeabreakandstudythemaps(intheAppendix). 4.BecomeacquaintedwiththeTableofContents.Findatopicthatinterestsyouandreaditforfun. 5.Readasectionyoudonotknowmuchaboutbutmighthelpyouwithadiscussionquestionthatpuzzles you. 6.Readaboutariverbasin theonewhereyouliveoronethatparticularlyinterestsyou,orboth. 7.Finally,ifyouhavetime,doreadthewholething.Thecommitteemembersthoughtwewerequite familiarwithwaterfactsandpolicybutwefoundwehadalottolearn. 8.Pleaseusethereferencesectiontofindyourwaytoallthestateagencywebsitesandothersources wehaveused.theinformationintheutahstatewebsitesiswellworthexploring. DiscussionQuestions 1.Whatlineofevidencefortheprobabilityoffuturedroughtseemsthemostconvincingtoyou?What mightbethemostcompellingtodecisionmakers?ifthesedifferhowmightyoubeabletoconvincethe latterthatwefaceadifficultfuture? 2.ReviewUtah sbeneficialusepolicy,whichisthecornerstoneofwesternwaterlaw.doesitagreewithyour conceptofhowwatershouldbeallocated?doesitagreewithyourconceptofbeneficialuseofwater? 3.Reviewthevariousinstitutionsandpeoplewhocreatewaterpolicy.Whydidthissystemevolve? Whatproblemsdiditsolve?WaterdistrictsandtheStateEngineeraresubjecttothewhimsofthestate legislature.howmightthisaffecttheirabilitytomakewaterpolicydecisions?whatarethepositiveand negativeelementsofthissystem? 4.Areinstreamflowsandhealthylakesandwetlandsvaluabletoyou?Wouldyouliketoseethese watersgivenmorecertainprotectionandhowmightthatbedone?youmightconsidertwoexampleson thewasatchfront.thejordanriverdependsuponreturnflowsfrommunicipalandindustrial(m&i) whichmightbereducedbyre use,everdiminishingagriculture,andduckclubwaterrightswhichcould besoldforotherbeneficialusesandnotreturntotheriver.thewasatchmountainstreamsareourpurest sourceofculinarywaterandwillbeundergreatpressureintimesofdrought. 5.Isitmoreimportanttochangethewaterallocationsystemorisitmoreeffectivetochangepeople s attitudesandhabits?whydoyouthinkso? 6.Isitnecessarytomakeachoicebetweenwaterforpeopleandwaterforthenaturalworld? 7.Developingmorewatersourcessupportsmoreurbangrowth.Doesconservationdothesame? i

4 ConsensusQuestions 1.InUtah,accordingtolaw,waterbelongstothepublicandmustbeputtoabeneficialuse.Thepublic trustdoctrinerequiresgovernmenttoprotectthepublic'sinterestsincommonlyheldassetssuchaswildlife, publiclandandwater. Doyouthinkthatcurrentallocationofwaterbetweenhumanneedsandenvironmentalusesis equitable?ifnot,whatchangesdoyouthinkwouldmaketheallocationmoreequitable? Sincepopulationgrowthislinkedtoeconomicdevelopment,doyouthinkthatthestate'stendencyto emphasizeeconomicdevelopmentshouldbecurtailed? WouldyouliketoseechangesinthewaywaterinUtahbecomesaquasi permanentpropertyright? 2.WhatisthebestwaytochangehowUtahnsusewater? Whichispreferable:voluntarycampaignsandeducationormandatoryprogramswithmonetary penaltiesorincentives? Isconservationbestlefttolocalentitiesordoweneedstatelawsandpoliciestoaccomplishourgoals? 3.WhatwouldbetheidealwaterpolicystatementforthestateofUtah?Belowisthecommittee s suggestionforyourconsideration. DraftPositiononUtah swaterresources: Background:TheLWVUTrecognizesthescarcityofwaterintheStateofUtah.Utahistheseconddriest stateinthenation;utahhasthesecondhighestpercapitawateruse.theleague sapproachtodealingwith thisrealityistofurthercitizenunderstandingofbasinwatersheds,andtoapproachloomingproblemswith solutionsthatwillbenefitagrowingpopulationaswellasanenvironmentrichinwildlifehabitatand diverse,oftenexquisite,topography. Statementofposition: Therefore,theLeague spositionwithrespecttowateruseis: Tosupportwaterpoliciesthatarestructuredtoaddresshumanneedswhileprotectingwatertables, lakes,streams,wetlandsandtheirattendantwildlife.(policiescanincludepossiblysteeperwaterrates ifnecessary,xeriscapingrequirementsfornewdevelopments,maintainingtheintegrityofwater basins.) Tosupportenvironmentalsafeguardsthatrecognizetheinterrelationshipsamongwater,air,land resourcesandwildlife(thesnakevalleyproposalbysnwaisaperfectexampleofignoringlanduse andairqualitythroughoutavastportionofthegreatbasin) Tosupportimplementationofstringentcontrolsthatprotectsurfacesuppliesandrechargeareasfor principalaquifers(aquiferstorageandrecovery;maintaininginstreamflows,themainsourceofaquifer recharge) AdvicetotheBoard 1.WhatfurtheradvicewouldyouliketogivetotheUtahLeagueBoardonwritingawaterposition?What doyouthinkmustabsolutelybeincluded?istheresomethingyouwouldliketosaythathasnotcomeout inthisstudyanddiscussion? 2.Isthereawatertopicyouwouldliketostudyinmoredepth?Areyouwillingtocontributetosuchan inquiry? ii

5 TABLEOFCONTENTS ReadingInstructions... 1 DiscussionQuestions... i ConsensusQuestions... ii DraftPositiononUtah swaterresources:...ii AdvicetotheBoard... ii INTRODUCTION... 1 UTAHWATER ALIMITEDRESOURCE... 2 ClimateHistory... 2 ClimateFuture ModelingorGuessing?... 2 SnowfallDilemma... 2 Growth... 3 WATERLAWANDREGULATION... 4 TwoSystemsOfWaterLawApplicableInUtah... 4 FederalReservedWaterRights... 4 UtahWaterRights... 4 WhereWaterLawIsMade TheStateLegislature... 4 WhereWaterDecisionsAreMade... 4 TheStateEngineer... 4 WaterConservancyDistrictsandIrrigationCompaniesorDistricts...5 StateGovernmentAgencies...5 ProtectionforStreams,Lakes,andWetlands... 5 InstreamFlow... 5 FederalProtection... 6 PublicTrustDoctrine... 6 WhoinFactOwnstheWater?... 6 WATERSOURCES... 7 Utah swaterbudget thebigpicture... 7 Utah sgroundwater Aquifers... 8 AquiferTypes... 8 PrincipalAquifers... 9 RIVERBASINSWITHINTHESTATE BearRiverBasin WeberRiverBasin JordanRiverBasin UtahLakeBasin WestDesertBasin includessnakevalley KanabCreek/VirginRiverBasin includesst.george HOWOURWATERISCURRENTLYUSED AmountsUsedbyTypeofUser WaterforWildlife HowDoesUtahCompare? UsingWaterEfficiently REFERENCES GLOSSARY APPENDIX MAPS iii

6 INTRODUCTION In2008theLeagueofWomenVotersofUtahdecidedtodoastudyofUtahwatersothatwecouldbetter advocateforourmembers deepconcernsaboutwaterforpeopleandwaterfortheenvironment.this paperisconcernedwithaccountingforourwaterandhowwemanageit,notwithwaterqualityeitherfor humanusesorforwildlife. Itisgenerallyagreedthatinthefuturethestatewillseelesswaterandmorepeople.TheLeaguebelieves thatthedecisionswemakeinthenextfewyearswillshapeboththehumanandnaturalenvironmentfor therestofthiscenturyandbeyond.wehopethisstudydescribesutah swaterfactsanddilemma:how muchwaterwehavenowandhowmuchwemighthaveinthefuture;howweusewaternowandhowwe mightusewaterinthefuture.herearesomepublicpolicyquestionstokeepinmindwhilereadingthis study. 1.Wecannotpredictthefuturewithmuchaccuracy.However,wearetoldtoexpectmorepeople,andthe climatesectionwillshowthatutahcanmostlikelyexpectlonger,hotterdroughtsattheleastandmore likelyahotter,drierclimateoverall.sohowshouldwepreparefortheuncertaintiesofawaterfuturethat maybequitedifferentfromourexperienceofthelastcenturyandahalf? 2.Howshouldweallocatewateramongmunicipalandindustrial,agriculture,andtheenvironmentas populationgrowsand/orwaterbecomesscarcer?areweindangerofneglectingagriculturewheninthe futurewemaybecomemoredependentuponfoodandfibergrownclosetohome? 3.InthelegalsectionandthedescriptionsoftheriverbasinsofUtahyouwillseethatmanagingwaterisa convolutedundertakinginbothphysicalstructureandingovernance.whereisthemosteffectiveforum forwaterdecisions:cities,stateagencies,thegovernor,thelegislature? WehopethatthefollowinginformationwillhelpbothLeaguemembersandthepublicbetterunderstand Utah swatersupplyandusageandthatthereportisfairandbalancedenoughthatsomeonefromanother perspectivemightreadthefactsandexplanationshereinandcometoquitedifferentconclusionsthan ours.wealsohopethatwehavenotomittedanycriticalinformationormisrepresentedanyoneorany institutionororganization. 1

7 UTAHWATER ALIMITEDRESOURCE Utahisasemi aridstatewiththesouthernhalfofthestatedrierthanthenorthern.waterexperts, planners,andpoliticalleadersacknowledgethatwaterwillbethelimitingfactorinnearlyallfuturehuman endeavorsinutah.however,thereisnottotalagreementastojusthowdrythestatewillbeorwithhow watershouldbeallocatedinthefuture(spr.runoffconf,2009). ItiswidelyacceptedthatUtahwaterhasbeenover allocated.aprimeexampleisthecoloradocompact wheremorewaterwasdividedamongthecontiguousstatesthanusuallyflowsintheriver.internalutah riverbasinssufferfromsimilarstresses.over allocationsimplymeansthatmorewaterhasbeenlegally promisedtowaterusersthanactuallyexistsorcanbesafelyorpracticallyremovedfromnaturalsystems. Muchofthisover allocationcanbeattributedtoignoranceofthewaterandclimatehistoryofthe intermountainsouthwest. ClimateHistory Althoughtherearenowrittenrecords,scholarscantellusagreatdealaboutinteractionofhumansand climateandwaterforcenturiespast.thehistoryofnativepeoplesisinstructive.highlyorganized,settled populationswithextensiveirrigationsystemswouldariseandthendisappear(ormoveelsewhere) indicatingwetanddrycycles(grahame,2002).treering,fossilpollen,andlakesedimentstudiesalsopoint tolongdroughts,somelastingthegreaterpartofacentury(utahdivisionofwaterresources[udwr], 2007,DroughtinUtah,ch.3).Wenowknowthatevenwithitsperiodicdroughtsourclimateforthepast centuryandahalfhasinfactbeenthewettestscientistscanfindintheevidenceavailabletothem,so historicalexperiencemaybeoflittlevaluetousindescribingourclimatefuture.infactthereisgood reasontoexpecttherewillbelongdryperiodsinthestate sfuture(udwr,droughtinutah,p.xv). ClimateFuture ModelingorGuessing? Climatologistsandhydrologistsareusingnewscientificdataonclimatetrendsandgreaterunderstanding ofitsvariabilitytocreatemodels,whichattempttopredictfutureclimateandwaterregimesforutah.the outcomesfromthemodelsvaryfromseveredroughtwithdireconsequencestomoremoderatedeclinesin precipitationthat,althoughserious,maybemanageable.scientistsandmostwatermanagersagreethat globalwarmingwillbringhighertemperaturestoallofutah.howmuchwarmerdependsuponthemodel anddataused(spr.runoffconf.2009).modelpredictionsarealwayssubjecttonewdataand improvementsofthemodelsthemselves.noscientistwillsayanythinginabsoluteterms. Toaddtotheuncertainty,Utahisgeographicallyperchedonthedividebetweenthelatitudestothesouth thatareexpectedtobedrierandthelatitudestothenorthwhichmaybewetter.justwherethedividing linebetweenwetanddrywillbeisuncertain(gillies,spr.runoff2009).sothereisagreementonahotter, driersouthernutah,butnoonewantstopredicthowwetordrynorthernutahmaybe(spr.runoffconf., 2009).However,thereisaconsensusthatwhetherwetterordriernorthernUtahisdestinedtobehotterA warmerclimatewillhaveseriousconsequencesforastatethatdependsuponsnowpacktocreatea reliableandeasilystoredwatersupply. SnowfallDilemma MostofUtah susablewatercomesfromsnowpack.thestate ssystemofreservoirsfillsinlatespringand earlysummerfromtheslowsnowmelt.thewaterlevelinthereservoirsstartstobedrawndown beginninginlatesummer,throughtherestoftheyearandintothenextspring.thesystemdependsupon asubstantialsnowfallandthetimingofthespringsnowmelt.littlesnowormoreprecipitationfallingas 2

8 raindoesnotallowfortimelystorageinutah shighmountainreservoirsorforefficientseasonalallocation. IfUtahhasahotteranddrierclimate,therewillbelesswaterinanyform,asmallersnowpack,and probablyhigherhumanusagetocounterthehotter,drierweather.evenifutahweretobewarmerbut wetter,thereareproblems.moreprecipitationwillfallasrainratherthansnow,filteringthroughthe groundtoouraquifersnottoourreservoirs,whereitismoreaccessibletothewaterdeliverysystemnow inplace.thesmallersnowpackwillmeltearly,andsinceutahreceiveslittlesummermoisture,itislikely thatsummerwaterusewillstillbehighandlong(spr.runoffconf,2009,droughtinutah2007). Growth Utah spopulationispredictedtocontinuetogrowatanunusuallyfastrateforawestern,industrialnation. TheGovernor sofficeofplanningandbudgetprojectsthatthepopulationwillgrowfrom2,833,337in 2010to5,368,567in2050,mostlyontheWasatchFront(GOPB,2009).Intheircurrentplanningforthe futureallwatermanagersconsiderpopulationgrowthfirstandforemost.however,atthestatelevelwater plannersarealsoconcernedabouttheconsequencesofahotteranddrierclimateandthethreatofa diminishedand/orearlymeltingsnowpack(spr.runoffconf,2009,udwrdroughtinutah2007).our populationisprojectedtodoubleoverthenextfortyyearswhileourwaterresourcesareexpectedto diminish. 3

9 WATERLAWANDREGULATION TwoSystemsofWaterLawApplicableInUtah FederalReservedWaterRights WhenCongressreservespubliclandforaparticularpurpose,e.g.Indianreservations,parks,militarybases, itimplicitlyreservesproprietaryrightsinthewaterflowingthroughthereservationsufficientforthe purposesofthereservation.theproprietaryrightsoftheriparianlandownertowaterflowingthroughhis landinutahislimitedtofederalreservedlands,althoughitisthesystemapplicableinstatesotherthanin thearidwest.theallocationofwaterofthecoloradoriverbetweentheriparianstatesisgovernedbythe ColoradoRiverCompact. UtahWaterRights WaterlawapplicableinUtahtootherthanfederalreservationsisthefundamentallydifferentsystemof priorappropriation.allwaterotherthanfederallyreservedwaterinthestateofutahisownedbythe peopleofthestate.personsorentitiesacquiredrightstousewaterhistoricallybyappropriatingit,i.e.by divertingitfromstreamsorsprings(orbypumpinggroundwater)andthenputtingittobeneficialuse.this rightwasindependentofanyownershipofriparianlandandthebeneficialusecouldbeanywhere.the basictenetistogiveprioritytotheseniorappropriatorwhoisentitledtoallthewaterheinitially appropriatedbeforeajuniorappropriatorisentitledtoany.historically,intimesofscarcity,usefor domesticpurposeswasgivenfirstpreference,andagriculturewasgivensecondpreferenceoverother uses.currentlythereisnoutahlawaddressingprioritiesintimeofdrought.thisrighttowater,althoughit isfreetotheappropriatoranditcanbelostbynon useforfiveconsecutiveyears,isapropertyinterest whichmaybetransferredbyconveyance,thatis,sold. After1903(1935forgroundwater),anewappropriatorwasrequiredtoobtaintheapprovaloftheState Engineerbutexistingrightsbaseduponpriorappropriationandusecontinuetobeprotected.Approvalis alsorequiredtochangetheplaceofdiversion,thequantityofwater,orthenatureoftheuse(e.g.from irrigationtopowergeneration).theengineermayrejectapprovalifitwillinterferewithaprior appropriationorwillunreasonablyaffect publicrecreation orthe naturalstreamenvironment (O Connell,2009). WhereWaterLawIsMade TheStateLegislature Asrepresentativesofthepeople,theUtahlegislaturemakesstatewaterlawandchangesitatwill.Thereis onlyonelineinthestateconstitutionthatspeakstowaterandthatistoconfirmexistingwaterrightsput tobeneficialpurposeatthetimeoftheconstitution sadoption.therefore,itisinstatutethatutah s watersaredeclaredtobethepropertyofthepublic,thestateengineer spowersanddutiesaredescribed, andthegovernorisgivenalimitedpowertodeclaredroughtandcurtailfurtherappropriationsofwater duringtheperiodofthedroughtdeclaration.andasonewouldexpectinsocriticalandcontentiousan area,thereisautahwaterestablishmentofwaterlawyersandwatermanagers,affectionatelyreferredto asthe waterbuffaloes. WhereWaterDecisionsAreMade TheStateEngineer TheStateEngineerisempoweredtodecidewaterdisputes,permitnewappropriationofavailablewater, andprotectwatersupplies.hisdecisionscanbetakentocourt.mostavailableutahwaterhasbeen 4

10 appropriatedandinmanyareasover appropriated.asageneralrule,ifwaterisneeded,itisnecessaryto purchaseanexistingwaterright.thestateengineer(directorofthedivisionofwaterrights)isalso responsibleforthehealthofaquifers,wellsandstreamsandoverseesdamsafety,irrigationditches,and more(utahcode73 2). WaterConservancyDistrictsandIrrigationCompaniesorDistricts Awaterconservancydistrictisacreatureofthestateunderthepurviewofthestatelegislature.Itis chargedwithputtingthewatersofthestatetobeneficialuse,conservingwateruse,anddeveloping unappropriatedwaterresources.itmaybeconcernedwithmunicipalandindustrial(m&i)usesaswellas irrigationwaters.adistrictisgovernedbyaboardofdirectorsappointedbythecountygoverningbodyor byasystemforrecommendingcandidatestothegovernorinthecaseofmulti countydistricts.a conservancydistrictisboundbyinterstateagreementsandfederallaws,contracts,andtreaties.examples ofwaterconservancydistrictsarethejordanvalleywaterconservancydistrictinthesaltlakevalleyand theweberbasinwaterconservancydistrictinwebercounty.irrigationcompanieswereacknowledgedin statestatutein1919wellbeforewaterdistricts.theyarebeholdentotheirstockholdersratherthana politicalentity;however,theyarevulnerabletotake overbythewaterconservancydistrictintheir geographicarea(uc17a). StateGovernmentAgencies TheDepartmentofNaturalResourceshasthreedivisionsinvolvedinwateractivities.TheDivisionofWater Resourcesfindsanddevelopswater.TheDivisionofForestry,FireandStateLandsoverseestheGreatSalt Lake.TheDivisionofWildlifeResourceshasaspecialconcernforthewatersofthestateinitsroleas protectorofthestate swildlife.thedivisionofwaterqualityinthedepartmentofenvironmentalquality monitorswaterquality. ProtectionforStreams,Lakes,andWetlands Utahstreamshavesomelimitedprotectionsinstatute.TheStateEngineercandenyarequestfor unappropriatedwaterifhedeemssuchwoulddamagefisheries,recreation,orhabitat.becauseheonlyhas thispoweroveryettobeappropriatedwater,itisoflimitedvalue.currentlythedivisionsofstateparks andrecreationandwildliferesourcescanownwaterrightsforinstreamflowandcertainnon profit organizationsinterestedinfishingcandosoonatenyeartrialbasis. InstreamFlow Instreamflowisparticularlyusefullegalterminologybecauseitcanbeusedtokeepwaterinstreams.The StateofUtahrecognizesinstreamflow.Itwasdesignatedabeneficialuseina1986amendmenttothe establishedwatercode(uc ).Inthecurrentstatute,instreamflowisdesignatedabeneficialusefor thepropagationoffish,publicrecreation,orthereasonablepreservationorenhancementofthenatural streamenvironment.theutahdivisionsofwildliferesourcesandparksandrecreationweregiventhe powertoholdinstreamflowwaterrightsonatemporaryorpermanentbasis.however,adivisionis requiredtofollowthesameprocedureasanyotherapplicantforawaterrightandislimitedtoacquiring alreadyappropriatedwater.inotherwords,instreamflowwatermustcomefromwaterthathasalready beenassignedtoanotherbeneficialuse.whatthismeansinpracticeisthatagriculturalwaterhasbeen reassignedtoinstreamflow.in2009theutahwatercodewasagainamendedtogivecertainclassesof non profitorganizationssuchastroutunlimitedtherighttoacquireinstreamflowrightswiththesame stricturesandforatrialtenyearprogram(utahwaterrightsfactsheet,2001,uc ). 5

11 FederalProtection FederalprotectionforinstreamflowresideswiththeCorpsofEngineers,theBureauofReclamationand theenvironmentalprotectionagency.thecorpsoverseeswatersoftheunitedstatesandconnected wetlands.thebureauofreclamationrequireswaterreleasestostreamsfromthedamsinwhichitis involvedbutwithnoguaranteeastohowlongthewatermustbeleftinthestream.implementingthe CleanWaterAct,theEPArequireseachstatetohaveanantidegradationpolicyequalorsuperiortothe standardsoftheact.theprincipleofantidegradationcanbeusedtoprotectinstreamflowsincewater volumeisimportanttodilutingpollutants(rivernetwork2009). PublicTrustDoctrine ThepublictrustdoctrinehasalonghistoryinwesterncivilizationdatingtotheRomans.Itoriginatedwith theconceptthatwatersandshorelinesbelongedtoandcouldbeusedbyeveryone.intheunitedstates, thedoctrinehasbeenexpandedtoprotectionofspeciesandhabitat.themonolakedecisionisarecent applicationofthedoctrine,andlegalargumentsprofferedtoprotecttheintegrityofthegreatsaltlake ecosystemusethisconcept. Thepublictrustdoctrine,however,retainstheanthropocentricfocusof propertylawinwhichtrustassetsareheldbythegovernmentforthecommonbenefitofusers. (Adler 2007,p.199)Therestillremainstheproblemofwhetherwildlifeandhabitathavelegalstandingoftheir own.atpresentthecourtshaveonlyconsideredhumaninterestsinthequalityoftheenvironment,notthe survivalofitsfloraandfauna. WhoinFactOwnstheWater? Utahstatuteandtheconstitutionspeakofbeneficialuseasthefundamentalrequirementforthepeople s water.utahrecognizesthefollowingbeneficialuses: agriculture,culinary,domestic,industrial,irrigation, manufacturing,milling,mining,municipal,power,stockwatering,instreamflow,recreationandthereasonable preservationorenhancementofthenaturalstream environmentandaquatic culture (UDWR,2001,StatePlan). Aslongaswaterisusedforoneofthesepurposestheownerofthewaterrightcansellittosomeoneelse forthesameoranotherbeneficialuse.byholdingtothedoctrineofprior appropriation,itappearsthat thewatersofutahnolongerbelongtoallthecitizens,buttotheownersofthewaterrights. 6

12 WATERSOURCES Utah swaterbudget thebigpicture WaterplanningistheresponsibilityoftheUtahDivisionofWaterResources.Asapartofplanningthe Divisionisinvolvedinseveralmajordatacollectionprograms.Thesedataprovidethebasisofthefigures usedinthefollowingnarrative.informationfollowingthetableprovidesanexplanationofeachcategory. Thestatewidewaterbudgetisbasedonaverages.Actualwatersuppliesrarelymatchaverages.Oftenthese variationsoccurinprolongedwetanddrycycles.theearly1980swereoneofthewettestperiodson record.thisperiodwasimmediatelyfollowedbyoneofthedriestperiodsonrecord( )(UDWR, 2001,StatePlan,p.13). ESTIMATEDSTATEWIDEWATERBUDGET Basedon Records 000Acre Ft/Year 1. TotalPrecipitation 61, UsedbyNaturalSystems 53, BasinYield 7, InterstateCompactChanges GroundwaterMining InflowintoWestDesertfromNevada AvailableSupply 7, AgriculturalDepletion 2, Municipal&IndustrialDepletion GreatSaltLakeEvaporation 3, OtherDepletions Yieldthatflowsoutofstate 695 Line1,TotalPrecipitation PrecipitationistheprincipalsourceofUtah swater.theprecipitationisstored temporarilyduringthewinterassnowinthemountainsandforlongerperiodsinreservoirsandaquifers. Line2,UsedinNaturalSystems Thestate swaterbudgetshowsthatabout87%ofthetotalprecipitation thatfallsinthestatereturnstotheatmosphereasevaporationfromthesurfaceandtranspirationfrom nativeplants(notcrops). Line3,BasinYield Precipitationthatisnotreturnedtotheatmospheremakesitswayintostreamsand othersurfacewaterbodiesorpercolatesintogroundwateraquifersmakingitavailableforuse.surface waterismeasuredatgagingstationsbytheu.s.geologicalsurvey.groundwateraquifersaremodeled usinginformationfromwells. Line4,InterstateCompactChanges TheColoradoRiversystemandtheBearRiverflowintoUtahfrom neighboringstates.interstateriversarecoveredbycompactsnegotiatedbythefederalgovernment.under thecoloradorivercompact,theupperbasinstates(wyoming,coloradoandutah)areresponsiblefor7.5 millionacre feettothelowerbasinstatesandforhalfofthe1.5millionacre feetthatgoestomexico annuallymakingatotalof8.25millionacre feet.ofthisamount,20,000acre feetisassumedtobe deliveredfromthepariariver.thebalancewouldbedeliveredoutoflakepowell.asaresultofthis 7

13 Compact,Utah swaterisdecreasedby819,000acre feetperyear.asaresultofthebearrivercompactit isincreasedby284,000acrefeet,resultinginanetdecreaseof535,000acre feet. Line5,GroundWaterMining 35,000acrefeetisaresultofgroundwaterminingintheBeryl Enterprise area.inthestate s2001waterplanthisistheonlyareainwhichsuchminingisdocumented. Line6,InflowintoWestDesertfromNevada 100,000acre feetcomesintoutah swesterndesertfrom Nevada Line7,AvailableSupply TheInterstateCompacts,groundwaterminingandotherinflowscombinedwith thebasinyieldresultintheaverage AvailableSupply forthestateof7,311,000acre feetperyear. Line8,AgriculturalDepletions Ofthe AvailableSupply,30%or2,175,000acre feetperyearare consumedbyagriculture. Line9,M&IDepletions Sixpercentor443,000acre feetperyearareconsumedbyresidential, commercial,institutionalandindustrialuseswhicharelumpedundertheheading Municipal&Industrial. Line10&11,GreatSaltLakeandOtherDepletions EvaporationfromtheGreatSaltLakeandotheropen waterbodiesandtranspirationfromwetlandsandriparianareasdepletethewatersupplyby3,998,000 acrefeetperyear(55%oftheavailablesupply). Line12,Yieldthatflowsoutofstate Theseamountsresultinanaverageof695,000acrefeetflowingout ofthestateinadditiontothatflowingouttosatisfythecoloradocompact. Utah sgroundwater Aquifers AquiferTypes Utahhasnosingle,continuous,hydraulicallyconnectedaquiferliketheOgallalaofOklahoma/Nebraska.It hasfourdifferenttypesofaquifers,eachofwhichismorecommoninadifferentphysiographicutah province.describingthese provinces firstwillhelpthereaderunderstandwhatdistinguishestheaquifer settings.theseaquifertypesweredescribedbyschlotthauerandothersin1981andgatesin1985.seethe map, PhysiographicProvincesinUtah, intheappendix. MiddleRockyMountainPhysiographicProvince.WearefamiliarwiththeMiddleRockyMountain physiographicprovince,whichencompassesmostlynortheastutah,theruggeduplandsofthewasatch Range,theUintaMountains,andback valleybasinsandrivervalleyslikeheber.theaquiferfoundinthis regionislabeledbygeologistsasvalley fillunconsolidatedaquifer.valley fillaquifershaveconfined, unconfined,andperchedgroundwaterconditions,andtoalimitedextentarealsofoundonthecolorado Plateau(Gates,1985),anotherphysiographicprovincediscussedbelow. ColoradoPlateauPhysiographicProvince.TheremainderofeasternUtahisdistinguishedbytheColorado Plateauwhichcontainsafractured rocktypeofaquifer.sandstoneholdsthegroundwaterprimarilyin fracturesandporespaces,andsuchaquifersaremorecommoninthecoloradoplateauthananywhere elseinutah(eisingerandlowe,1999).theentrada,navajo,andwingatesandstonesarethemost widespreadandcontainthemostuseablewaterinutah,butotherbedrockunitsmaybeimportant aquifers(schlotthauerandothers,1981;gates,1985). BasinandRangePhysiographicProvince.PicturethewestsideofUtah,vastsparselypopulatedbasinand rangecountry,withanimmenseaquiferthatwehaveheardlittleabout,untilrecently thecarbonate.itis alsoafractured rocktypemainlyoflimestoneanddolomiteformations(gates,1985)likelehmancavesat 8

14 GreatBasinNationalPark.AlessextensivecarbonateaquiferexistsaroundUtahLakeincentralUtah (Gates,1985).ThecarbonateaquiferextendsintoNevadaaswell,andisundergoingextensivestudyasthe SouthernNevadaWaterAuthoritynegotiateswithUtahtodevelopthegroundwaterfromSpringandSnake ValleysinnortheastNevadaforthefuturegrowthofLasVegas. Alsointhebasinandrange province, isthetypeofaquiferthatservesutah sdensestpopulation,the basin fillaquifersofnorthwesternandwesternutah.likethevalley fill,theyoccurunderconfined, unconfined,andperchedconditions,butarethickerandhavemorearea.atypicalbasin fillaquiferranges fromzerotoseveralthousandfeetthick,andcontainsfreshwaterinazoneupto500to1500feetthick (Gates,1985).TheCacheValley,theEastShoreareaoftheGreatSaltLake,andtheSaltLakeValleytop unconsolidatedbasin fillaquifers. Thealluvialbasin filldepositsyieldwateratratesaveragingfrom200to1,000gal/min(gates,1985). The mostproductivebasin fillaquifersconsistofcoarse,clean,wellsortedgravelandsand,andyieldlarge quantitiesofwatertowells (Loweandothers,2003,p.8).Thesearethewellsthatserveourcurrent growingpopulationinnorthernutah. PrincipalAquifers Utahharborstheabovefourtypesofaquifers:unconsolidatedvalley andbasin fill,andsandstoneand carbonatefractured rockaquifers.however,mostofutah sgroundwatercomesfrombasin andvalley fill aquifers,althoughlessextensivebedrockunitsyieldsome(schlotthauerandothers,1981;gates,1985). Rechargetotheaquiferscomesprimarilyfromprecipitationwithinthedrainagebasins,whichare discussedbelow.streamsarethemainsourceofrecharge.irrigationrun offcanalsobeasourceof rechargetotheaquifers(loweandothers,2003,p.4). Withinthefourtypes,Utahhas13principalaquifers,someofthemsoundingfamiliar:CurlewValley,Cache Valley,EastShorearea,SaltLakeValley,TooeleValley,UtahandGoshenValleys,JuabValley,SevierDesert, PahvantValley,Milfordarea,ParowanValley,CedarValley,andtheBeryl Enterprisearea.Theseare unconsolidatedbasin fillaquifersandtheyaremapped.alsomappedaretheunconsolidatedvalley fill aquifers,thesandstone,andthecarbonateaquifers,thoughsomehaveuncertainboundaries(loweand others,2003,p.7,fig.3modifiedfromgates,1985).seethismapintheappendix. AsUtah spopulationgrowsatanastoundingrate,duebothtoanemphasisonattractingindustryaswellas ahighbirth rate,thehealthoftheseaquifershasbecomeparamount.asstreamflowshavedeclinedor beendiverted,therehasbeengreateremphasisonstorage.inthestudyteam sextensiveinterviewswith watermanagers,thequestion, arewedepletingouraquifers? failedtoelicitspecificresponses,butthere wasverbalconfirmationthatshallowaquifersarecontaminatedorthereisathreatofcontamination throughmechanizedrecharge,newemphasisonenergysourcessuchasheatpumps,orunforeseenevents. Oneoutstandingexampleofaquifer mining (theresultofwithdrawinggroundwaterfromnatural aquifersatarateexceedingthenaturalrecharge)(arthofer,2009,p.9)istheberyl Enterpriseaquifer. A 2008studyconductedbytheDivisionofWaterRightsestimatestheBeryl Enterpriseareahasalong term averageannualrechargeof34,000acre feetperyearwhileusgsdataindicatewithdrawalsfortheperiod of averagedabout85,000acre feetannually (Greer,2008).TheDivisiondevelopedaBeryl EnterpriseGroundWaterManagementPlan(GWMP)whichelicitedseveralobjectionsfromthepublic includingeconomicloss,thereductionofcurrentmarketvalueofland,andlossofindividualwaterrights (Arthofer,p.9).ThestatelegislaturerespondedbyhaltingtheGWMPfundingforthe2008budgetyear. 9

15 ThisactionhaseffectivelysuspendedfurtherprogressbytheDivisioningroundwatermanagementofthe area(arthofer,p.10). Initsmostrecentreport,theDivisionofWaterRightshasidentifiedgroundwatermininginsix groundwaterbasins,andsevenbasinsare over appropriatedbasedontheamountofwaterrights approvedascomparedtotheavailablesupply (UtahDivisionofWaterRights,April7,2008).The consequencesofgroundwaterminingarenotinconsequential.theyinclude,accordingtothestate Engineer soffice,decreasingwaterqualityasaresultofexpansionormigrationofpoorerqualitywater, increasingratesofsurfacelandsubsidence,lossofaquifercapacityduetosubsurfacecompaction,andthe necessityfordeeperwells. Moreover,economicimpactstudiesshowgroundwaterminingpushesa greatercosttoobtaininganequivalentquantityofresourceinthefuturewhilehydrologicstudiessuggest theinjurytotheresourcemaybeirreversible (Lindon,Nov.19,2008,p.9ofArthofer,2008). TheDivisionadherestoacentralgoalofdeterminingthesafeyieldforsustainablegroundwater withdrawals,aconcernthatwasechoedbythewaterofficialsthisstudyteaminterviewed.howwillingthe legislatureistodealwiththisissueinatimelymanner,asevidencedbythefundingcut offtothe Beryl/EnterpriseGWMP,doeslittletoinspireconfidence. 10

16 RIVERBASINSWITHINTHESTATE Utahisdividedinto11hydrologicriverbasins.The3easternriverbasinsandthesouthernbasinaroundthe VirginRiveremptyintotheColoradoRiversystem.TheremainingriverbasinsareapartoftheGreatBasin (UDWR,2001StateWaterPlan,p.13).PrecipitationthatfallsintheGreatBasindoesnotflowtotheocean. Watersupplyanddemandarereportedbybasinbecausenormallythewatersupplyofabasinisallthatis availableforuse.however,thecentralutahprojectandtheproposedlakepowellpipelineareexamples oflargeinterbasintransfers.severalsmallinterbasintransfersalsoexist.amapoftheriverbasinsis includedintheappendix. ESTIMATEDWATERSUPPLYBYBASIN Basin 000Ac. Ft/Yr. BearRiver 2,106 WeberRiver 1,046 JordanRiver&UtahLake 1,278 WestDesert 329 SevierRiver 819 Cedar/Beaver 216 Uintah 688 WestColoradoRiver 446 SoutheastColoradoRiver 136 KanabCreek/VirginRiver 247 (UDWR,2001) ThisstudywillconcentrateontheBearRiver,WeberRiver,JordanRiver,UtahLake,WestDesert,and KanabCreek/VirginRiver.Thesebasinscontainmostofthepopulationinthestateorareofparticular interest. RegionsofUtahdiffersignificantly.TounderstandwhatwaterisavailablefordevelopmentinUtah,first recognizewhatisavailablebymajordrainagebasin.utah sdivisionofwaterresourcesestimateswater sources.countiesandmunicipalitiesestimatewaterneeds.herearefactsandfiguresaboutthebasins. Hopefully,thissectionwillprovideareviewofgeographyandwatersources.Somebutnotallbigissues andimpactsofwaterplannersareidentified. BearRiverBasin BasinConditions TheBearRiverBasincoverslandinsoutheasternIdahoandsouthwesternWyomingaswellasUtah.Within Utah,thebasinincludesabout3,300squaremiles.TheBearRiveristhewesternhemisphere slargest streamthatdoesnotreachtheocean.theheadwatersofthebearriverareinsummitcounty,utah,on thenorthslopeoftheuintamountains,approximately60milesdueeastofsaltlakecity.theriverfollows a500milecircuitousroutethroughwyomingandidahobeforereturningtoutahandflowingintothe GreatSaltLake.(UDWR,BearRBasin,2004,p.1) Utah sportionofthebearriverbasinconsistsofallofcacheandrichcounties,theeasternone thirdof BoxElderCountyandasmallportionofSummitCountycontainingtheheadwaters.Thecurrentpopulation ofthisbasin(2000census)is136,097.estimatedpopulationin2050is297,

17 TheearliestusersofwaterinthebasinwereirrigatorsintheLowerBearRiverValleyandCacheValley. Consequentlytheyholdtheearliestwaterrights.Themanagementoftheriverisaccomplishedwith deliveryofirrigationwaterastheprimaryobjective. HistoricallytheriverdidnotnaturallyflowintoBearLake.ThefeasibilityofdivertingwaterfromBearRiver intobearlakewaspresentedin1898.in1902thepredecessortoutahpowerandlightbegan constructinginletandoutletcanalstodivertbearriverwaterintothelakeforlaterreleaseduringthe agriculturalgrowingseason.in1914apumpingplantwasconstructedatthenorthendofthelaketopump waterfrombearlakeintotheoutletcanal.thisconstructioncreatedanactivestoragecapacityof 1,452,000acre feetinbearlake(udwr,bearrbasin,p.1). TotalaverageannualprecipitationintheUtahportionoftheBearRiverBasin 4,000,000acre feet Usedbyvegetationandnaturalsystems 1,900,000acre feet Basinyield 2,100,000acre feet Agriculturaldepletion 536,000acre feet M&Idepletion 21,000acre feet Wetlands,ripariandepletionandreservoirevaporation 340,000acre feet FlowintotheGreatSaltLake. 1,200,000acre feet WaterrightsheldbytheBearRiverMigratoryBirdRefugeaccountforagreatdealoftheflowintothe GreatSaltLake.TheBearRiverCompactdesignateshowthedevelopablewatersoftheriveraretobe allocated.assumingfulldevelopmentofthebearriverbyidahoandwyomingthereremainsanaverage annualdevelopableflowofabout250,000acre feetforutah.becausethiswateriswinterandspringflow, developmentofafirm(reliable)yieldwillrequirenewstorage(udwr,bearrbasin,p.11). BasinIssues ThroughoutCacheCountythewatersupplyshouldtakethemwellintothe2040swhileBoxElderCounty s supplyshouldmeetthecountyneedsthrough2025.however,theseprojectionsarebasedupona countywideconditionforaveragewateryearsandaverageyearlydemand.somesystemsarehardpressed evennowtoprovideadequateflowsduringdroughtconditionsandpeakdemand.localwatersuppliers willcontinuetodevelopavailablewatersources.incachecountythiswillmeanadditionalgroundwater development.thestateengineer sofficewillallowanadditional25,000acre feetperyearofgroundwater withdrawals.inboxeldercounty,groundwatersuppliesarenotsoabundantandwaterpurveyorswill continuetoacquireexistinghighqualitygroundwaterrightsfromwillingsellersanddevelopwhatever additionalgroundwaterisavailablealongtheeastsideofthecounty.(udwr,bearriverbasin,p.49) TheBearRiverDevelopmentActpassedin1991directstheDivisionofWaterResourcestoplanand constructfacilitiesontherivertodevelopwaterforthejordanvalleywaterconservancydistrict,the WeberBasinWaterConservancyDistrict,theBearRiverWaterConservancyDistrictandCacheCounty.We assumethisistodirectthedevelopableflowof250,000acrefeettotheseotherareas.thecurrentplan forbearriverdevelopmentisto: 12

18 o o o o DevelopanagreementwiththeWeberBasinWaterConservancyDistricttostoresurplusBear RiverwaterinWillardBay, ConnecttheBearRiverwithapipelineand/orcanaltoWillardBay, ConstructconveyanceandtreatmentfacilitiestodeliverwaterfromWillardBaytotheWasatch Front,and BuildadamintheBearRiverBasinasdemandforadditionalwaterincreases. (UDWR,BearRBasin,p.50) WeberRiverBasin BasinConditions Thisbasinincludes1.5millionacresextendingfromtheWasatchMountainsandthewest drainingslopes oftheuintamountainstothegreatsaltlake.itincludesallofweber,davisandmorgancountiesand mostofsummitcounty(udwr,weberrbasin,1997,p.3 2). MajortributariestotheWeberRiverareBeaver,Chalk,Lost,andEastCanyonCreeksandtheOgdenRiver. Totalstoragecapacityonthesystemis525,900acrefeetineightmajorreservoirs:Causey,EastCanyon, Echo,LostCreek,Pineview,Rockport,SmithandMorehouse,andWillard(UDWR,WeberRiverBasin,p.3 4). Averageannualbasinwateryield 979,400acrefeet AnnualM&Iuse(potablewater) 92,262acre feet AnnualM&Iuse(secondarywater) 101,121acre feet Agriculturaldepletion 359,800acre feet Wetland&riparianuse 270,000acre feet (UDWR,WeberRBasin,1997,p.14 3) Springsaccountfor10%andwellsfor78%ofthepotablewatersupplywiththebalancecomingfrom surfacewater.secondarywateruseinthisbasinisthemostextensiveinthestate(udwr,m&iwater Supply&UsesintheWeberRBasin,2008,p.xiii). ReportspublishedbytheUtahDivisionofWaterResourcesshowadecreaseinsurfaceirrigatedlandfrom 119,094acresin1999to83,081acresin2007(UDWR,February2008,p.8).Thelatestpublishedfigurefor useofwaterforirrigationoninventoriedirrigatedlandis359,800acre feetin2003(udwr,weberrbasin Plan,2004,p.38).Thispublicationestimatesthat3.4acre feetofwaterisdivertedperacreofirrigated cropland. WiththeexceptionofEchoReservoir,minimuminstreamflowsarerequiredonallreachesoftheWeber andogdenriverbelowexistingreservoirsextendingtotheflatareanearthegreatsaltlakebecause instreamflowsarerequiredbelowreservoirsconstructedwithfederalfunds. TheWeberRiverBasinconsistsofsixgroundwaterbasinswhichalthoughconnectedbysurfaceflowsare generallyconsideredgeologicallyisolated.theeastshoreareaisastringofcoalescingalluvialfansand riverdeltasonthehangingwallofthewasatchfault(udwr,weberrbasin,1997,p.19 1).Groundwater levelsintheeastshoreareahaveexperiencedsignificantdeclinesinrecentyears(udwr,weberrbasin, 1997,p.19 7).Recordshavedocumentedgroundwaterdeclinesof50 80feetinthedenselypumpedareas between1958and1985.theotherfivegroundwaterbasinsareclosedtofurtherappropriations(udwr, WeberRBasin,p.19 4). 13

19 BasinIssues PopulationoftheWeberRiverBasinin2005was533,120.Projectionsweremadein1997of699,590 peoplein2020and1,316,860in2050(udwr,weberrbasin,p.4 2)maynowbetoolow.However, basedonthoseprojectionsthe1997waterplanstatedthatthebasinisprojectedtohaveasurplusof watertotheplanningyearof2020althoughsomeareaswouldhaveshortages.after2020wateris expectedtobeimportedfromthebearriverbasin. TheresidentsofParkCityfeelthereisacriticalneedforsupplementalsourcesofwater.Thisneedcanbe metwiththeimportationofwatercurrentlyheldineastcanyonreservoir. JordanRiverBasin ThestatehasdesignatedSaltLakeCounty(ortheSaltLakeValley)tobetheJordanRiverBasin.Itis boundedbytheoquirrhmountainsonthewest,thewasatchmountainsontheeast,thegreatsaltlake onthenorthandthetraversemountains(atthepointofthemountain)tothesouth.thejordanriver Basinhas370squaremilesofmountainousterrain,26ofwater,and429ofdevelopablelandforatotalof 805squaremiles.Correctlydefined,theJordanRiverBasinisalltheareadrainedbytheJordanRiverand itstributaries:saltlakecountyplustheutahlakebasin.thelatterisdescribedinthenextsection(jordan R.Plan,pp.3 4 5). TheJordanRiverBasinreceivesalargeportionofitssurfacewaterfromtheJordanRiverwhosedrainage includesapieceoftheuintahmountains.afteritentersthesaltlakevalley,thejordanisfedbytheseven majorandthirteenminorwasatchmountainstreams,andsixintermittentorephemeralstreamsinthe Oquirrhs.StorageisprovidedinWasatchMountainreservoirs,groundwaterrepositoriesandnatural aquifers(jordanr.plan,p.2 2). Thevalley stotalaverageannualwatersupplyasmeasuredin was825,000acre feet.the sourcesarethestreamsdescribedabove,groundwater,andimportedwater.alltheavailablesurfacewater ofthevalleyhasbeenfullyappropriatedanddeveloped.groundwaterisnotyetfullydevelopedbutis consideredtobeover appropriatedwhichmakesitaproblematicsourceforfuturewater.however,water isbecomingavailableform&iuseasagriculturallandissoldfordevelopment.therewillbenoagricultural landinthesaltlakevalleyby2050. ThewaterfromtheUtahLake/JordanRiversystemisofpoorqualityandthereforeexpensivetoimproveto culinarystandards.itsbestusemaybeinsecondarysystemssuchasoutdoorwateringorlowgrade industrialprocesses.theassumptionofwatermanagersisthatupto90%ofthesurfaceflowinthesalt LakeValleywillbedivertedtohumanuseasneededinthefuture.(JordanR.Plan,pp.2 5,6) InstreamflowprotectionfortheJordanRiveriscurrentlydependentuponreturnflowsfromirrigationand M&Iwaters.ItissuggestedthatthestreamsoftheWasatchandOquirrhMountainsshouldbeprotected bysaltlakecountyzoningrequirementssuchasthoseofthesaltlakecountywasatchcanyonmaster Plan. 14

20 TotalWaterSupplyfortheJordanRiverBasin AverageAnnualSupply Source (acre feet) JordanRiver 308,000 WasatchMountainstreams 173,000 OquirrhMountainstreams 4,000 Groundwater 168,000 Importedwater 825,000(CUPandothersources) TheSaltLakeValleyisunderlainbytwoaquifers,adeepsomewhatconfinedaquiferofhighqualitywater andashallowgenerallycontaminatedaquifer.bothareinunconsolidatedvalleyfillbutareincompletely separatedbyclaysoils.aslongasthedeepaquiferpercolatesupward,itwillnotbecontaminatedbythe shallowaquifer.however,thedeepaquiferisconsideredtobeveryneartobeingmined,andifallthe appropriatedwaterwereinfactdeveloped,miningofthataquiferwouldoccur.thenitwouldbeindanger ofcontaminationfromdownwardmovementfromtheshallowaquifer.thisshallowaquiferhasbeen contaminatedbyminingandindustrialprocessesandtheby productsofourchemicallybasedlife style (JordanR.Basin,p.2.9,Niermeyer,2009). SaltLakeValleywaterdevelopmenthistorybeganwhenMormonpioneersbegandivertingthewatersof thewasatchstreams.perhapsthefirstbigwaterexchangewasmadewhenadealwasmadetoacquire UtahLakeorJordanRiverwaterforirrigationsothebetterqualitymountainwaterscouldbeusedfor culinarypurposesinsaltlakecity.sincethenthebasinhasalongandconvolutedlegalhistoryof agreementsanddisagreements,toonumeroustorecount.perhapsthemostsubstantialarethefederal CentralUtahProjectandtheSaltLake UtahValleyWelby JacobsExchange,whichbringwatertotheSalt LakeValleyviaUtahLakeBasinwaterinfrastructure(Hooten,UtahLake&JordanR.,JordanR.Basin,p.9.1). TheSaltLakeValleyisservedbytwomajorwaterconservancydistricts,theMetropolitanWaterDistrictof SaltLakeCityandSandyandtheJordanValleyWaterConservancyDistrict,althoughthereareafewother minorwaterdistributors.therewere26irrigationcompaniesinthevalleyasof1997.(jordanr.basin,p.6 1) TheSaltLakeValley,asallWasatchFrontriverbasins,isexpectingmorethanadoublingofpopulationby 2050.Watermanagers,planners,andpoliticalleadersgenerallyprojectatotalbuildoutforthevalley portionofthejordanbasin. Watermanagersplanforpopulationgrowthinthebasinandproposethesealternatives: o o o o o o DevelopUtahLake/JordanRiverwater DevelopadditionalwaterfromtheWasatchRangestreams Developadditionalgroundwater Groundwaterrecharge BearRiverwaterdevelopment Conservation (JordanR.BasinPlan,p.2 4) 15

21 UtahLakeBasin BasinConditions TheUtahLakeBasinconsistsofmostofUtahandWasatchCounties,easternJuabCountyandsmallpartsof SummitandSanpeteCounties(UDWR,UtahLakeBasin,1997,p.3 2). UtahLakeisthedestinationofnearlyallriversandstreamsinthisdrainageandthesourceoftheJordan River.TheProvoRiver,withitsheadwatersonthewesternslopesoftheUintaMountains,istheprimary tributary.storageisprovidedinjordanelle,deercreekandmonareservoirsandutahlake.wateris importedthroughtheweber ProvoCanal,throughtheDuchesneTunnelandtheSyarTunnel(UDWR,Utah LakeBasin,p.3 4). M&Idiversion 141,345acre feet M&Isecondaryuse 5,100acre feet Agriculturaldiversion acre feet Depletionsfromwetlandsandriparianareas 26,700acre feet EvaporationfromUtahLake 230,000acre feet (UDWR,UtahLakeBasin,p.5 7). UndertheCentralUtahProject(CUP)CompletionAct,101,900acre feetwillbesuppliedtotheutahlake BasinfromStrawberryReservoirforirrigationuseinsouthernUtahandeasternJuabCountiesandfor M&IuseinsouthernUtahCounty.WaterwillbedeliveredtoUtahLakefornorthernUtahandSaltLake CountiesinexchangeforwaterretainedinJordanelleReservoir.DeliveryofwaterintheUtahLakeBasin willbemanagedtoprovideminimumflowsindiamondforkcreekandthespanishforkrivertoenhance fishandriparianhabitatasrequiredbythefederalgovernmentunderthecup.thiswaterisprovidedby transbasindiversionfromstrawberryreservoir(udwr,utahlakebasin,p.5 5). TheUtahLakeBasinencompassesfivegroundwaterbasins.Theyare:HeberValley,RoundValley,Cedar Valley,Utah GoshenValleyandJuabValley.Mostofthegroundwatercomesfromunconsolidatedvalley fillwhichcreatesanumberofconfined,unconfinedandperchedaquifers.allmajorgroundwater producingareasintheutahlakebasinwereclosedtonewappropriationsbythestateengineer(udwr, UtahLakeBasin,p.19 1).Underapprovedwaterrightsapproximately300,000acre feetmaybe withdrawn.presentlydevelopedrightswithdrawabout152,000acre feetannually(udwr,utahlake Basin,p.19 8). Basinpopulationin1994was318,020.By2020,thetotalisprojectedtobe569,803(UDWR,UtahLake Basin,p.4 2). AgroundwatermanagementplanforUtahandGoshenValleyshasbeencompleted.TheStateEngineer wantstoencouragethetransferofirrigationwatertomunicipalpurposesasfarmlandconvertsto subdivisions.toaccomplishthiswillrequirethatchangeapplicationstotransfersurfacewaterrightsto groundwatersourcesbefiledwiththestateengineer(udwr,utahlakebasin,p.19 8).Thepresent groundwatermanagementplanprovidesforanannualwithdrawalof160,000acre feetmoreinadditionto the109,000acre feetnowbeingwithdrawn.thisamountisconditionalontheeffectonsurfacewater rightsbeingmitigated.theutahlakeplanrecommendsthatmajorwatersuppliersaggressivelypursuethe possibilityoflargegroundwaterrechargeprojectsandexchangesinthemosturbanizedareasofutah Valley(UDWR,UtahLakeBasin,p.19 10).Theplanalsorecommendsthatagenciesprovidingwater implementpricingpracticesthatprovideanincentivetoconservewaterandarerevenueneutral. 16

22 WestDesertBasin includessnakevalley BasinConditions AccordingtotheUtahStateWaterPlan,theWestDesertBasinextendsfromthenorthwestcornerofthe statealongthenevadastatelineintothesouthernportionofthestate,extendingjustpastthenorth boundaryofironcounty(udwr,westdesertbasin,2001,p.2 1).Thebasinhasbeendividedintofour sub basins:(western)boxeldercounty,greatsaltlakedesert,tooele/rushvalleyandthegreatsaltlake (UDWR,WestDesertBasin,p.3 3).ForthepurposeofthisstudywewillonlyconsidertheGreatSaltLake Desert,whichisimportantbecauseofthecurrentissueinvolvingwaterfromSnakeValley,whichislocated inbothutahandnevada. Residentsthroughoutthebasinaredependentongroundwaterforculinarywatersupplies,principallyfrom wells(79%)andtoalesserextentfromsprings(udwr,westdesertbasin,p.2 7).Becausethebasinisa verydryenvironmentandmostofitsstreamsareintermittentandephemeral,inmanylocations groundwaterisalsoaprimaryirrigationwatersource(udwr,westdesertbasin,p.5 1). MostoftheGreatSaltLakeDesertisunderlainwithgroundwater,muchofwhichdoesnotmeetpresent drinkingwaterstandardsforsalinity.thelargestandmostdependablespringsofthebasinarefedby regionalcarbonateaquifers(udwr,westdesertbasin,p.2 13).Carbonaterocksformlargegathering systemswhichdischargeinsinglelargesprings(udwr,westdesertbasin,p.19 4). Surfacewaterrechargeistheprimarysupplyforthegroundwateraquifer.Theerraticnatureofthewinter snowscaneasilydoubletheannualsnowpackorcutitdrasticallyduringmildwinters.thisresultsina significantfluctuationinthesurfacewaterrunoff(udwr,westdesertbasin,p.5 2). AccordingtotheSurface/GroundwaterBudget,thereisatotalof26,600acre feetperyearthatflowsfrom NevadaintoUtahinMillardCounty(UDWR,WestDesertBasin,p.5 10). BasinIssues In1989,theSouthernNevadaWaterAuthorityfiledarequestwiththeNevadaStateEngineerforwater rightsinsnakevalleyamongotherareas.accordingtomikestyler,executivedirectoroftheutah DepartmentofNaturalResources,Utahwillnothavetogiveuprightstowateritcurrentlyuses. Negotiationsarecurrentlyunderwaytoworkonissues.Thenegotiatorsplantodividethewater, upholdingeachstate sexistingrightsandsplittinguptherestbetweenthetwostates(styler,december, 2008,AddresstoAmericanSocietyofPublicAdministration). KanabCreek/VirginRiverBasin includesst.george BasinConditions TheKanabCreek/VirginRiverBasinistributarytotheLowerColoradoRiver.AccordingtotheStateWater Plan,theVirginRiverBasincovers3.2millionacres.Ofthattotal1.8millionacresareinUtahwiththe remainderinarizonaandnevada.thewholebasinincludesmostofwashingtoncounty,thewesternpart ofkanecountyandaverysmallpartofironcounty(utahboardofwaterresources(ubwr),1993,p.2 2). In1993,whentheStateWaterPlanforKanabCreek/VirginRiverBasinwaswritten,annualwaterusewas: 17

23 M&I 10,570acre feet Secondary 11,170acre feet Irrigation 51,300acre feet Exports 2,600acre feet Reservoirevaporation 5,300acre feet (UBWR,p.2 5) Groundwateristheprimarysourceofdrinkingwater,butsurfacewaterhasbeenusedmoreextensively sincepopulationhasincreased(ubwrp.11 1).TheprincipalaquiferismadeupofNavajosandstone.The long termannualrechargeinthevirginriverbasinisestimatedtobethesameasthedischargeof155,000 acre feet.rechargeanddischargeforthekanabcreekandjohnsonwashdrainagesisestimatedat31,000 acre feet.groundwaterinflowfromthesevierriverbasinisestimatedat16,500acre feetannually. Dischargefromwellsin1982was27,000acre feet(ubwrp.2 9).Mostoftheareaunderlainbythe Navajoaquiferisclosedtonewappropriation(UBWR,p.9 15). Thereare25,600acresofirrigatedcroplandinthebasin.Thelargestportion(31%)isusedforalfalfaand grasshay.cropproductionisusedtosupportthelivestockindustry(ubwr,p.10 7). WaterisexportedfromtheSantaClaraRiverintoPintoCreekintheCedar/BeaverBasin(UBWR,p.5 26). QuailCreekReservoir,completedin1985,hasatotalcapacityof40,325acre feet.pinevalley,baker, LowerGunlockandIvinsreservoirsprovideabout13,000acre feetofstorageonthesantaclarariver system.kolobandashcreekreservoirshavebeenbuiltontheuppervirginriver.bluesprings,aspen LakeandStrattonaresmallreservoirsontributaries(UBWR,p.9 5). WaterforinstreamflowsisrequiredinthereachoftheVirginRiverfromtheQuailCreekReservoir diversiontothest.georgeandwashingtoncanaldiversionfortheprotectionofendangeredspecies (UBWR,p.5 26). Projectionsarethatdepletionofthewatersupplyforculinaryandsecondarywaterwillincreasewith increasedpopulation.useofwaterforirrigationisexpectedtodecreaseaspopulationgrowthdisplaces irrigatedfarmland(ubwr,p.9 11). ExportofwatermayincreasebecauseofanagreementbetweenCedarCityandtheWashingtonCounty WaterConservancyDistrict(WCD)underwhichCedarCityhelpedtopayforQuailCreekReservoirin exchangeforthepotentialtodivert6,100acrefeetfromspringsintheuppervirginriverbasin(ubwr,p. 9 22). BasinIssues However,thelargestincreaseinwaterdemandwouldcomefromincreasedpopulation.TheStateWater Planwrittenin1993usedthe1990populationof52,742forthebasinwithaprojectedpopulationin2020 of158,381(ubwrp.2 2). However,accordingtotheLakePowellPipelineWaterNeedsAssessment(2008),theestimatedpopulation in2005tobeservedbythepipelinewas165,802whilethe2020projectionis349,846(p.6).this populationincludes32,860peopleinironcountyin2005and61,236in2020.thispopulationisnotinthe basinbutservedbythepipeline.subtractingtheironcountypopulationfigureleavesapopulationof 132,942in2005and288,610in2020inthebasin,amuchlargerpopulationthanwasprojectedin