Northern Utah County Groundwater

Northern Utah County

Groundwater Management Plan

Status and ReviewNovember 3, 2010

Teresa Wilhelmsen, P.E.UL/JR Regional EngineerDivision of Water Rights

Outline

• Current Management Policy

• Water Usage Estimates

• Summary of Water Rights

• Future Direction

Utah/Goshen Valley Groundwater Management Plan

• Effective November 15, 1995• Utah/Goshen Valley defined• Relationship between surface and ground

water• Groundwater Resources of Northern Utah

Valley, Utah 1985• Estimated recharge and discharge to be

about 200,000 acre-feet per year

Utah/Goshen Valley Groundwater Management Plan

• Appropriation history of the area– Early 60s closed to appropriations greater than

3.0 acre-feet– 1967 moratorium on all groundwater

appropriations in southern Utah Valley due to water level declines

– 1975 levels recovered and the previous policy was reinstated

– 1995 with this plan the Utah/Goshen Valley was closed to new groundwater appropriations

Utah/Goshen Valley Groundwater Management Plan

• Withdrawal limits:– Northern Utah Valley

• Annual withdrawals from wells are limited to an average of 160,000 acre-feet per year, using a 5-year moving average.

• Maximum withdrawals in any one year shall not exceed 200,000 acre-feet.

Where are we today?

• Hydrology of Northern Utah Valley, Utah County, Utah, 1975-2005– Published 2008

Where are we today?• Groundwater Conditions in Utah, Spring of 2010

Table 3

Where are we today?• Groundwater Conditions in Utah, Spring of 2010

Table 2

Where are we today?Water Rights

– Nearly 4,700 rights– Approved and Perfected

• Water Rights and Change Applications

“Approved” Change Applications–210 Change Application from other areas

•95% Municipal

Disclaimer

• Estimated Amounts

• No Claim Filed (Adjudication)

• Duplicate Groups

• Overlapping Water Rights

Water Right Number 1 UGWC 1912Water Right Number 2 CERT 1967

Together these two rights watered 100 ELUs

Supplemental Group 1000WR1, WR2Stockwater: Sole Supply: UNEVALUATED Group Total: 100.00

Water Right Number 3 Application to Appropriate 1985

Applied for an additional well to be supplemental to other rightsPOU same as WR1, WR2

Old database structure:

Water Use Group: 2000WR3Stockwater: 100 ELUs

New Structure:

Supplemental Group 1000WR1, WR2Stockwater: Sole Supply: UNEVALUATED Group Total: 100.00

Supplemental Group 2000WR1, WR2, WR3Stockwater: Sole Supply: UNEVALUATED Group Total: 100.00

WR 1 UGWC 1912WR 2 DECREE

WR 3 Diligence

WR 1 UGWC 1912WR 2 DECREE

WR 3 Diligence

30 acres

55 acres

15 acres

WR 1 UGWC 1912WR 2 DECREE

WR 3 Diligence

30 acres

55 acres

15 acres

Total Acres = 55

NOT = 100 acres

Where are we today?

• Water Right Summary– Domestic & Stock 5,717 acre-feet– Irrigation 137,431 acre-feet– Municipal 103,350 acre-feet– Other 92,390 acre-feet

• Total Estimated Diversion

• 338,888 acre-feet

Water Rights Summary

• Non-consumptive Rights– 23,813 acre-feet

• Underground Water Claims– ~2600 rights

• Approved Applications to Appropriate– 34 rights … ~15,300 acre-feet

Utah Lake RightsIrrigation Companies

• East Jordan Irrigation Company» 9,967 acre-feet

• South Jordan Irrigation Company» 2,622 acre-feet

• Utah Lake Distributing Company» 5,236 acre-feet

• Utah and Salt Lake Canal Company» 2,139 acre-feet

(just within Northern Utah County area)

Listing of Estimated Values

• http://www.waterrights.utah.gov/– Meetings

• Past Meetings– November 3, 2010, Northern Utah County Groundwater

Management Plan

» Water Rights Priority Listing

Summary of Data

• 1995 – 200,000 AF/yr

• 2000 – 73,000 AF/yr

• 2008 – 153,000 (+/- 31,5000) AF/yr

• 2010 – 338,888 AF/yr

Where do we go from here? Feedback

Ideas Comments

Considerations

Where do we go from here?

• Notice – applications filed after September 30, 2010, will be held

“All Applications which represent a new groundwater withdrawal from the Northern Utah County Groundwater Management Area filed after September 30, 2010 will be held until a new groundwater management plan is adopted or a decision is made not to modify the current plan.”

Where do we go from here?

• 60 days to submit comments (January 4, 2011)

• We will continue to study this issue and review the Water Rights

• Review Comments (will be made available on our website)

• Public Meeting (early next year)