TOOELE & RUSH VALLEYS - AREA 15

Updated: September 24, 2004
Changes from previous version in red text

DESCRIPTION:        Located on the eastern edge of the Tooele County from T4N to T10S, these two valleys are administered separately because of the weak hydrologic connection they have through South Mountain.  This area is bounded on the north by the Great Salt Lake, on the west by the Stansbury and Onaqui Mountains, on the east by the Oquirrh and East Tintic Mountains, and on the south by the Sheeprock Mountains.  The highest point in the area is 11,031 foot Deseret Peak, while the lowest is the shore of the Great Salt Lake at about 4,200 feet, giving a total relief of about 6,830 feet.  Click here to see a map of the area.

MANAGEMENT:     Three Proposed Determination of Water Rights books and an addendum have been published for this area between 1973 and 1999, however, no pre-trial orders or final decrees have been issued.  There are no state-administered distribution systems in this area.  The Tooele Valley portion of this area is subject to the conditions of the 1996 Tooele Valley Ground-water Management Plan.  A public meeting was held on July 7, 2004 to discuss the Northeast Boundary Plume and an Amendment to the Tooele Valley Groundwater Management Plan was issued on September 22, 2004, the linked PDF file includes a map of the area discussed. Click here to see statistics for this area.

SOURCES:               
SURFACE  WATER - Surface waters 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.  Non-consumptive use applications, such as hydroelectric power generation, will be considered on their individual merits.  The only exception is for small amounts from sources that would otherwise flow to the Great Salt Lake.

GROUND WATER - Tooele Valley is closed to appropriations except for small amounts of shallow ground water (less than 10 feet from the surface) which would otherwise flow to the Great Salt Lake.  New diversions and consumptive uses in other sources must be accomplished by change applications filed on owned or acquired rights.  Rush Valley is open to small appropriations up to 0.1 cubic feet per second.  Changes from surface to underground sources, and vice versa, are also considered on their individual merits, with emphasis on the existence of a hydrologic tie between the two sources, the potential for interference with existing rights, and to ensure that there is no enlargement of the underlying rights.  Non-consumptive use applications, such as hydroelectric power generation, will be considered on their individual merits.  Temporary appropriations may be allowed for very short term projects.  Applicants are placed on notice that development should be pursued as soon as possible.  Extension of time requests will be critically reviewed beyond the initial five-year period.

GENERAL:                Applications are advertised in the Tooele Transcript.  The general irrigation diversion duty for this area, which the State Engineer uses for evaluation purposes, is generally 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 Weber River Regional Office in Salt Lake City.

REFERENCES:
Technical Publication No. 4, Ground Water in Tooele Valley, Tooele County, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1946.

Technical Publication No. 12, Reevaluation of the Ground-Water Resources of Tooele Valley, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1965.

Technical Publication No. 23, Hydrologic Reconnaissance of Rush Valley, Tooele County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1969.

Technical Publication No. 69, Ground-Water Conditions in Tooele Valley, Utah, 1976-78; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1981.

Technical Publication No. 107, Hydrology and Potential for Ground-Water Development in Southeastern Tooele Valley and Adjacent Areas in the Oquirrh Mountains, Tooele County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1994.

Water Circular No. 2, Ground Water in Tooele Valley, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1970.

Basic Data Report No. 7, Selected Hydrologic Data, Tooele Valley, Tooele County, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1963.

Information Bulletin No. 26, Test Drilling for Fresh Water in Tooele Valley, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1981.

Water-Resources Investigative Report 95-4173, Simulated Effects of Proposed Ground-Water Pumping in 17 Basins in East-Central and Southern Nevada;
U.S. Geological Survey; 1995 (viewing this document requires the DjVu browser plugin available from LizardTech)

MODELING:            Regional Ground-Water Flow, Carbonate-Rock Province, Nevada, Utah, and Adjacent States; USGS Open-File Reports 93-170 and 93-420; 1993.

 Tooele Valley Ground-Water Flow Model, 1994.

PAGE UPDATES: July 27, 2004