08-30-2022, 10:41 PM
It would be good for everyone to read up a little on water rights in Utah. I'm not a water expert but I know enough to recognize that there is a lot of misinformation about water in Utah. A few key bullet points that I know (or think I know) Any water engineers or experts please correct me if any of this is not accurate:
1. The state owns all the water in Utah and no person or entity can legally own it.
2. The State Engineer (department of water rights) does grant water rights to allow the diversion of surface or ground water but that right is conditional upon "beneficial use" meaning use it or lose it. You actually have to have an engineer certify that the water is being used beneficially before the state will grant a water right. Those who originally built dams, ditches canals etc. and use the water (by permission granted in their "water right") have a higher priority claim to the water than subsequent claims.
3. The water righs in Utah are over-allocated meaning that the state has granted rights to more water than there actually is available. There is currently and has been for the last few years a process called "adjudication" wherin the state is challenging water rights and making you prove benificial use. If you are not using the water right and haven't for 7 years you will lose that right.
4. There is a severe drought in the west including Utah that has been going on for about 20 years. This sucks for farmers, fishermen and everyone but the net result is that things are getting tighter and tighter with regard to water rights. I assume that this will continue as our state continues to grow putting more pressure on this limited resource. We are seeing things like secondary water metering, the adjudication that is taking place, ad campaigns for conservation and desert landscaping etc. etc.
Anyway, as much as we'd all like to see our reservoirs stay filled and even see new ones built that's not reality without buying millions of dollars worth of water rights for each reservior that we want to keep full. I'd actually like to see it done and increase the "conservation pools" so the reservoirs can stay viable even in drought years but
ly I'm short the few million $ it would take. Anyone else want to donate?
Just my $.02
1. The state owns all the water in Utah and no person or entity can legally own it.
2. The State Engineer (department of water rights) does grant water rights to allow the diversion of surface or ground water but that right is conditional upon "beneficial use" meaning use it or lose it. You actually have to have an engineer certify that the water is being used beneficially before the state will grant a water right. Those who originally built dams, ditches canals etc. and use the water (by permission granted in their "water right") have a higher priority claim to the water than subsequent claims.
3. The water righs in Utah are over-allocated meaning that the state has granted rights to more water than there actually is available. There is currently and has been for the last few years a process called "adjudication" wherin the state is challenging water rights and making you prove benificial use. If you are not using the water right and haven't for 7 years you will lose that right.
4. There is a severe drought in the west including Utah that has been going on for about 20 years. This sucks for farmers, fishermen and everyone but the net result is that things are getting tighter and tighter with regard to water rights. I assume that this will continue as our state continues to grow putting more pressure on this limited resource. We are seeing things like secondary water metering, the adjudication that is taking place, ad campaigns for conservation and desert landscaping etc. etc.
Anyway, as much as we'd all like to see our reservoirs stay filled and even see new ones built that's not reality without buying millions of dollars worth of water rights for each reservior that we want to keep full. I'd actually like to see it done and increase the "conservation pools" so the reservoirs can stay viable even in drought years but
ly I'm short the few million $ it would take. Anyone else want to donate?Just my $.02