Revised April 9, 1999
MEETING SUMMARY:
A public meeting was held at 10:00 am, Thursday, March 25, 1999 at the Department of Natural Resources building in Salt Lake City to discuss a proposal for a long-term groundwater management plan in Salt Lake Valley. Jerry Olds, Assistant State Engineer, presided over the meeting in place of Bob Morgan, State Engineer. Presentations were given by Christopher Hudon and Jared Manning.
The Salt Lake Valley Interim Groundwater Management Plan was implemented in April 1991. At that time the State Engineer realized that additional information was needed to better understand the effects of large groundwater withdrawals in Salt Lake Valley on water quality. At this point, the Division of Water Rights (Division) entered into a contract with the USGS to conduct several studies. The primary objectives of these studies were to improve our understanding of the groundwater flow system and movement of dissolved solids through the aquifer under various flow patterns.
The Interim Plan was intended to guide water management during the time that the USGS studies were being completed. The studies have been completed and the data has been analyzed by the Division. The Division has now put together a proposal for a long-term groundwater management plan. This public meeting was intended to:
Christopher Hudon
The hydrologic system in Salt Lake Valley consists of
mountain recharge at the valley margins, flow through the valley via streams
and rivers, and flow through the valley through the groundwater system.
Our major source of groundwater comes from the "Principal Aquifer" which
is a deep confined aquifer consisting of basin-fill material. The boundary
of the basin fill will be used as the boundary of the management plan.
To better define the aquifer system the USGS has completed reports on chemical
composition of groundwater, a numerical flow model, a particle tracking
analysis, and a solute transport analysis. In order to evaluate potential
problems in the Salt Lake Valley the USGS models were run and the results
were analyzed. Drawdowns, particle tracking simulations, and solute transport
data was used to help determine the withdrawal limits for the plan. Under
the existing water right structure there are areas in the valley that have
a potential for very high withdrawals. These withdrawals can alter hydraulic
gradients, which may result in poor quality water migrating into areas
with good quality water. The proposed plan is intended to help spread out
withdrawals by setting limits on the amount of groundwater that can be
withdrawn from either regional or localized management areas. The response
of the aquifer to pumping is dependent on the physical geologic and hydrologic
system. Therefore, aquifer response to pumping will depend on the location
of the well in the valley.
Jared Manning
Groundwater withdrawal limits in the Salt Lake Valley
were discussed. A limit of 95,000 acre-feet per year was proposed for the
eastern region (everything in the valley east of the Jordan River). A limit
of 70,000 acre-feet per year was proposed for the western region. Also,
a limit of 85,000 acre-feet per year was proposed for the sub-region consisting
of Township 1S, Township 2S, and sections 1 - 18 of Township 3S east of
the Jordan River. These limits would be subject to a five year rolling
average.
The concept of management squares was introduced. A management
square consists of any two-by-two configuration of sections. A withdrawal
limit of 12,000 acre-feet per year was proposed for each management square
on the east side of the Jordan River. The purpose of the withdrawal limits,
regional and local, is to protect the quality of the resource.
Several guidelines for change applications were proposed. Also discussed were the 12 foot drawdown rule on adjacent wells and several other provisions of the proposed plan which would carry over from the Interim Plan. It was also proposed that the metering requirements of the Interim Plan become mandatory requirements.
The following information
was handed out at the meeting:
Jerry Olds, Assistant State
Engineer, asked if the water users would agree with making metering of
water use and sampling of inorganics mandatory in Salt Lake Valley. He
also stated that the Division will be more carefully reviewing requests
for extensions of time.
During the question/comment
period the following questions were asked:
Q: Is there a size limitation
for water rights that will be monitored under the plan? The current
proposal is to require all wells that divert 50.0 acre-feet per year or
more to meter their withdrawals and submit annual water use report. In
the Interim Plan this was handled on a voluntary bases. In adopting a long-term
management plan should this provision be mandatory?
Q: Will ground-water recharge
projects be included in the plan? It appears that ground-water recharge
projects will have a positive affects on the ground-water system. The State
Engineer has and continues to support the development of ground-water recharge
as part of our overall water management approach. However, recharge projects
will be administered separately from the ground-water plan.
Q: The Interim Plan divided
the valley into nine management areas and set sustained yields for each
area. Does the proposed new management plan do away with the sustained
yield concept? While the proposed long-term plan does not use the management
area, it does have limitations on the quantity of water that can be withdrawn
in subregions and within a management square in the east subregion. By
taking these measures it is hoped to distribute withdrawals over the entire
subregion. The limitations set forth in the proposed plan do reflect what
we believe are the safe or sustained yield of the ground-water system.
Q: Many public water suppliers
use their wells to meet peak demand during the summer months. Will users
be allowed to pump high rates for shorter periods of time? A water
right generally has both a diversion rate and an annual volume limitation.
The diversion rate is the maximum rate at which water can be diverted.
Generally the flow rate on most water rights is high enough to allow for
meeting peaking demands. If water users have specific ideas about using
the wells to meet peak demands we would consider it.
Q: If the decision is
made to make metering mandatory, how will it be handled? Currently
about 90 percent of the total ground-water withdrawals are from public
supply wells. Nearly all of the communities submit detailed water use data
each year. There are some agriculture and industrial water users who do
not submit water use data. We would like to give them a couple of years
to get meters installed and work out any problems accurately measuring
their water use. If we do not receive cooperation, then we will be forced
to take action to make it a condition for using the water. Under Section
73-5, the State Engineer can set up a distribution system and hire a water
commissioner to read the meter and submit an annual report on ground-water
withdrawals. The cost to operate the distribution system is charged to
the water users and they generally pay based on their proportionate share
of water use. It is our hope that the water users realize it is in their
best interest to work with us in the collection of reliable water user
information.
Q: What is the reason
for requiring municipalities to show that they have place the entire amount
of water to beneficial use at the time proof is filed? We have a great
deal of "paper water" in Salt Lake Valley. In the past municipalities only
had to demonstrate that they had the capacity to pump the flow rate provided
for in their water right, but did not fully place the entire quantity of
water use. We are attempting to make sure the water is being developed
and used, not being held.
Q: Why was a 5-year moving
average selected for accounting for ground-water withdrawals. What about
10 years? Again, one of the major objectives of the proposed plan is
to protect the ground-water system from contamination and over utilization.
We thought that 5 years would be reasonable in providing some flexibility
in meeting demands during drought periods. We will evaluate other periods
to see if perhaps it can be extended.
Q: How will future extension
of time requests on approved applications be handled? This is an important
issue that we would like to get some input from the water users about.
As stated in Mr. Manning presentation, we have potential withdrawals of
about 130,000 acre-feet annually under approved applications to appropriate
water. Many of these applications were approved over thirty years ago.
Is thirty years long enough for the user to develop the water? In acting
on extension of time requests the State Engineer can grant the request
in part, reduce the priority date or deny the request resulting in lapsing
of the application.
Q: What is the effective
date of the new plan? The State Engineer wants to move forward in a
timely manner to finalize and implement the plan. However, we do not want
to move so fast that the water users do not have an opportunity to study
and comment on the proposal. This will be a long-term plan that will guide
future ground-water management in Salt Lake Valley. We want to insure it
is a well developed plan and adequately addresses the major issues facing
us.
WRITTEN COMMENTS:
The State Engineer asks the comments and questions on the material discussed at this meeting be submitted in writing to the Division by no later than June 1, 1999.