UTAH DIVISION OF WATER RIGHTS -

SAN RAFAEL RIVER - AREA 93

Updated: April 16, 2002

DESCRIPTION: Ranging from southeastern Carbon County (T13S), across Emery County and into northeast Wayne County (T31S), this area=s major stream is the San Rafael River and its major tributaries, Cottonwood, Ferron, and Huntington Creeks. This area is bordered on the north by the Price River drainage, on the east by the Green River, on the south by the Dirty Devil River drainage, and on the west by the Wasatch Plateau. The highest point in the area is 11,285 foot South Tent Mountain in the Wasatch Plateau, while the lowest is at the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers at about 3,780 feet, giving a total relief of about 7,500 feet. Click here to see a map of the area.

MANAGEMENT: Five Proposed Determination of Water Rights books were compiled and published between 1982 and 1985. No pre-trial or final decree has been issued. There are two state-administered distribution systems in this area. The Cottonwood Creek Distribution System and the Huntington Creek Distribution System, administered by the Cottonwood Creek Commissioner and the Huntington Creek Commissioner, respectively. Because this area is part of the Colorado River basin, the conditions of the 1922 Colorado River Compact, the 1944 Mexican Treaty and the 1948 Upper Colorado River Compact and the State Engineer's Colorado River Policy apply. Applications to appropriate or change water are subject to conditions dealing with Green River Endangered Species Protection. Click here to see statistics for this area.

SOURCES:
SURFACE WATER - Surface waters of the area are considered to be fully appropriated. New diversions and consumptive uses in these sources must be accomplished by change applications filed on owned or acquired rights. Changes are being made on irrigation company shares on Cottonwood Creek. Exchanges on said shares have been made to accommodate cabin and campground use in the Joe's Valley Reservoir area. For the seasonal domestic use of one to three families, one share is needed. For the full-time domestic use of one family, one share is needed. Campgrounds require a varying number of shares depending on the amenities being offered. Generally, campgrounds without flush toilets require 5 gallons per capita per day (gpcd); with flush toilets, 20 gpcd; with flush toilets and showers, 60 gpcd; and with direct trailer connections, 60 gpcd. Approvals require the installation of meters and regulation by the Cottonwood Creek Commissioner at the applicant's expense. Non-consumptive use applications, such as hydroelectric power generation, are considered on their individual merits. Fixed-time and temporary applications are considered on their individual merits, with emphasis on their potential to interfere with existing rights. Applicants are placed on notice that development should be pursued as soon as possible, and requests for extensions of time in which to file proof will be critically reviewed after an initial five year period.

GROUND WATER - There are some limited ground-water resources available. Permanent applications in valley locations are generally limited to sufficient acre-foot amounts to serve the domestic purposes of one family, the irrigation of one acre, and a reasonable amount of stockwatering in areas where water is not available from a municipal or subdivision supply. Canyon and mountain areas which supply water for major irrigation diversions are closed, except under exchange applications on irrigation company shares with conditions as described above. Change applications altering the source from surface to underground, or vice versa, are considered on their individual merits, with emphasis on their potential to interfere with existing rights and to ensure that there is no enlargement of the underlying rights. Fixed-time and temporary applications are evaluated in a similar fashion. Applicants are placed on notice that development should be pursued as soon as possible, and requests for extensions of time in which to file proof will be critically reviewed after an initial five year period.

GENERAL: Applications are advertised in the Emery County Progress. The general irrigation diversion duty for this area, which the State Engineer uses for evaluation purposes, is 4.0 acre-feet per acre per year. The consumptive use requirement is determined from the publication Consumptive Use of Irrigated Crops in Utah, Research Report 145, Utah State University, 1994, unless the applicant submits other data for consideration. This area is administered by the Southeastern Regional Office in Price.

REFERENCES: Technical Publication No. 15, Water from Bedrock in the Colorado Plateau of Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1966.

Technical Publication No. 72, Reconnaissance of the Quality of Surface Water in the San Rafael River Basin, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1982.

Technical Publication No. 78, Bedrock Aquifers in the Northern San Rafael Swell Area, Utah, with special emphasis on the Navajo Sandstone; Utah Department of natural Resources; 1984.

Ground-Water Flow in the Navajo Sandstone in Parts of Emery, Grand, Carbon, Wayne, Garfield, and Kane Counties, Southeast Utah; Water-Resources Investigations Report 86-4012; U.S. Geological Survey; 1986.