GROUND-WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE BOUNTIFUL SUB-AREA OF THE EAST SHORE AREA
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 4, 1995
January 4, 1995
Dear Water User:
Enclosed is the final version of the ground-water management plan
for the Bountiful sub-area of the East Shore area. In developing
this plan, we have attempted to incorporate comments received at
public meetings and in writing, the hydrologic data, and the water
rights filings.
By way of clarification, I would like to elaborate on the items of
the plan dealing with well spacing, new appropriations of water,
and the reporting of well withdrawals.
Item 2 specifies that, under unconfined conditions, no well shall
cause more than 15 feet of drawdown to occur in any other well with
a senior priority date. The purpose of this item is to insure that
well spacing is sufficient to minimize interference problems among
water users. As future wells are planned, you need to consider
this provision, and locate and size the well accordingly.
Item 3 states that no new large applications to appropriate water
will be granted. I realize the hardship that this places on several
communities in meeting their future water requirements; however,
it is my opinion that the ground-water basin is over- appropriated,
and it is not in the long-term interest of the user to approve new
applications. To allow isolated homes to obtain water, we will
allow one acre-foot per year applications for domestic purposes
where no other source of culinary water is available; when another
source of culinary water (i.e. public supply system) becomes
available the well will be required to be sealed and the right
abandoned. This provision will be accomplished through the use of
fixed-time applications. Applications meeting the criteria will be
approved for a specific period of time, i.e. twenty years. At the
end of that period, the water user will be notified, and if a
public supply system has not become available, the applicant may
request that the application be extended. However, if in the
meantime, the applicant has connected to a public supply system,
the well will have to be sealed in accordance with existing
regulations.
Item 6 sets forth the provision for the reporting of withdrawals by
wells which divert, or potentially could divert, at least 100
acre-feet per year. This Division, in cooperation with the U.S.
Geological Survey, conducts an annual water use survey of municipal
and industrial diversions in the state. Every January, we send out
a questionnaire to be filled out and returned by the water user;
the information is used to monitor water use trends and in water
resource planning. Most municipal and industrial users in the
Bountiful sub-area already participate in this program. If you
submit a water use questionnaire, it meets this reporting
requirement. This requirement will take effect January 1, 1995,
and the first data will be collected in January 1996.
I believe that the adoption of this plan will facilitate the
development and use of the sub-area's ground-water resources in a
manner consistent with state water law. We will periodically
review data for the area and if changes to the management plan
appear necessary, we would consider updating the plan after
reviewing the matter with the local water users. If you have any
questions regarding this management plan, or any of its items in
particular, please feel free to call or write at the address on
the letterhead. Again, I thank you for your assistance and
participation in the development of this management plan.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Morgan, P.E.
State Engineer
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GROUND-WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
FOR THE BOUNTIFUL SUB-AREA OF THE EAST SHORE AREA
I. INTRODUCTION
This document sets forth the State Engineer's policy concerning
the management and administration of ground water in the
Bountiful sub-area of the East Shore Area. The objectives of
this ground-water management plan are to guide future
development, establish policy on new appropriations of water,
protect the resource from over-utilization and preserve the water
quality.
The Bountiful sub-area is described as follows: The southern
boundary is the Davis-Salt Lake County line, the north boundary
is the Centerville City-Farmington City line, the east boundary
is the Wasatch Range, and the western boundary is the Jordan
River and Farmington Bay.
II. BACKGROUND
The average annual recharge to the ground-water aquifer in the
Bountiful sub-area is about 26,000 acre-feet per year. Discharge
is estimated to be 30,000 acre-feet per year, with withdrawals by
wells accounting for 14,000 acre-feet (1969 to 1985).
A review of the existing ground-water rights in the sub-area was
made to determine the potential withdrawal that may occur. For
perfected water rights it is estimated that the potential
withdrawals are about 27,000 acre-feet per year. Under approved
applications the potential withdrawals are 18,500 acre-feet per
year and unapproved applications totalled 9,600 acre-feet. The
total potential withdrawals for perfected water rights and
approved applications are estimated to be about 45,000 acre-feet
per year. From these figures it is apparent the ground-water
basin is substantially over-appropriated.
III. ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN
1) Limit annual withdrawals from wells to an average of
25,000 acre-feet per year, using a 5-year moving
average. Maximum withdrawals in any one year shall not
exceed 30,000 acre-feet.
2) Wells shall be spaced so that under unconfined
conditions they do not cause more than 15 feet of
drawdown on any well with an earlier priority date.
Users in a particular area may enter into an agreement
to provide a variance from this requirement if it does
not interfere with third party rights and also subject
to approval by the State Engineer.
3) The Bountiful sub-area is closed to new applications to
appropriate water, except for isolated
domestic/stockwatering wells in non-subdivisions where
water is not available from a public water system.
Applications to appropriate water will be limited to
1.0 acre-foot annually. Applications will be approved
subject to the condition that when a public water
system becomes available the well will be sealed and
the water right terminated.
4) Future change applications will be considered on their
own individual merits. Transfers of rights involving
large distances, or from shallow aquifers (<30 feet) to
the principal aquifer will be critically reviewed.
5) Extension of time requests for applications to
appropriate water will be critically reviewed as per
Section 73-3-12. If the State Engineer finds
unjustified delays or a lack of due diligence, the
request may be granted in part, the priority date
reduced, or the extension of time request denied.
6) All wells diverting, or which potentially could divert,
100 acre-feet per year or more, shall be equipped with
a meter and the water user shall report the annual
withdrawals to the State Engineer.
7) Water users are requested to submit copies of any water
quality analysis performed to the State Engineer. As
withdrawals approach the annual limit set forth above,
additional restrictions may be imposed to protect the
water quality of the aquifer, if data shows the quality
is unreasonably affected.