AREA 35 - WEBER AND OGDEN RIVERS

Updated: November 3, 2022

Recent changes and additions in red text

  MANAGEMENT

The 1937 Weber River Decree and the 1948 Ogden River Decree adjudicated the area's surface water rights prior to those dates. No adjudications have been ordered to update these decrees or include ground-water rights. There are two state-administered distribution systems in this area: the Weber River Distribution System and the Ogden River Distribution System. Parts of the area are also subject to the conditions of two groundwater management plans: the Groundwater Management Plan for the Weber Delta Sub-Area, and the Snyderville/Park City Groundwater Management Plan. Click here to see statistics for this area.

  SOURCES

Surface Water - Surface waters are considered to be fully appropriated. Diligence Claims may be filed on water uses not in the decrees and which were established prior to 1903 for surface water and 1935 for underground water. 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. Fixed period or transient projects in canyon or foothill areas must be handled by temporary change applications. Per the State Engineer's Public Meeting Response Letter dated October 26, 2004, new water diversions, based on exchange applications, will be permitted for those projects where there is water available in the proposed source that can be diverted without impairing the rights of others or where water can be released from upstream storage to directly compensate intervening rights that might be impaired.

Per the State Engineer's Public Meeting Response Letter dated October 28, 2011:

  • Exchange applications will continue to be considered on their own merit. New water diversions, based on exchange applications, will be permitted for projects where there is water available in the proposed source that can be diverted without impairing the existing rights on the source, and where water can be released under the exchange to replace water for downstream rights.

  • New water diversions, based on exchange applications, that might impact tributary streams that are fully diverted under existing water rights may need a study provided by the applicant. This study will need to demonstrate that the groundwater being developed does not contribute to the flow of a surface source that does not receive a full year supply, which cannot be compensated directly by releases from upstream storage. The need for a study will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

    • Ground Water - There is a limited ground-water resource available. No new appropriations are approved above the mouths of the canyons. Development of new or different consumptive use projects in these areas must be accomplished by change applications on owned or acquired rights. New appropriations below the canyons are reviewed on an individual basis. Individual domestic filings for 1.0 acre-foot per year are generally approved where a public water supply is not accessible. Larger projects are generally held pending development of approved rights and data from water users. Changes from surface to underground sources, and vice versa, are also 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. 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. Per the State Engineer's Public Meeting Response Letter dated October 26, 2004, the aquifer test requirement on new wells in the Kamas East Subdivision has been removed.

    Approvals based on irrigation company stock or leases generally contain conditions requiring maintenance of shares or contracts for the underlying changed rights and/or installation of measuring devices. In some instances, further limitations are imposed as follows:

  • Snyderville/Park City Sub-basin: Only change or exchange applications based on rights already approved within this boundaries of this sub-basin are approved. See the management plan referenced above for more details. A revised Snyderville/Park City Groundwater Management Plan was adopted on September 9, 2019 See the management plan referenced above for more details.

  • Samak Area: Changes on shares of stock in Beaver and Shingle Creek Irrigation Company are subject to evaluation of the shares at 0.3 acres of irrigation per share, maintenance of those shares, installation of measuring devices, and the restriction of irrigation at the new diversion to the same period in which water is available in the original canal system.

  • Garff Ranch/Kamas Area: The State Engineer’s policy for this area was changed on April 3, 2018. Exchanges based on contracts with Weber Basin Water Conservancy District are limited to 1.0 acre-feet at a time. Whereas the prior policy restricted certain lots to indoor domestic use only, the new policy has no restrictions on nature of use. See the following:
  • West Hoytsville Area: The West Hoytsville groundwater system is characterized by fractured volcanic rock. Fracture density appears to decrease with depth. Wells typically have low yields and can interfere with each other if the same fracture system is intercepted. Residents in the area are currently exploring alternatives to organize a community water system. The Summit County economic development director has requested he be contacted regarding the filing of additional exchange applications in the area. His email address is dsargent@co.summit.ut.us

    • Governor's Proclamation 2022-01 - On November 3, 2022, Governor Spencer Cox issued a proclamation suspending new appropriations of surplus and unappropriated waters in the Great Salt Lake Basin pursuant to Utah Code 73-6-1. To read the press release from the Governor's office, click here. To read the proclamation, click here. A report on the proclamation to suspend appropriations in Great Salt Lake Basin was published on November 22, 2023 and can be read here. To view a map of areas subject to the proclamation, click here.

    The following are excepted from the effect of this proclamation:
    1. applications for non-consumptive uses,
    2. applications that include a mitigation plan to offset depletion, and
    3. applications for small amounts of water, as defined in Utah Code 73-3-5.6, that comply with State Engineer basin policies.
    All such applications remain subject to all applicable requirements of state law.

      GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT PLANS

  • Effective October 31, 1995, the East Shore Area is is subject to the conditions of the Groundwater Management Plan for the Weber Delta Sub-Area. Monitoring of groundwater levels indicated general declines over the entire sub-area. Lands previously devoted to irrigated agriculture are being converted to commercial and residential uses. This plan can, hopefully, provide a framework for the orderly and efficient development of ground-water supplies while minimizing such attendant problems as well interference, contamination, and over-utilization. Contamination concerns near Hill Air Force Base are also addressed.

  • Adopted September 9, 2019, the Snyderville and Park City Basin is subject to the conditions of the Snyderville/Park City Groundwater Management Plan. Changes in water usage patterns since prior management plans were adopted have led the State Engineer to amend the groundwater management plan for this area. See the plan for a detailed description.

    •   STATISTICS FOR CURRENT EXCHANGE APPLICATIONS

    Ogden River
    Weber River

      GENERAL

    Applications are advertised in the Ogden Standard-Examiner, the Morgan County News, the Summit County Bee, or the Park City Record. Filings that may involve the diversion of water in Utah for use in Wyoming (export) would be subject to the special criteria the statutes require for such projects. 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 (af/ac) in valley regions of western Weber County and 3.0 af/ac in the canyons and upper valleys. The consumptive use requirements are 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.

    Other requirements

    The Water Right applicant is strongly cautioned that other permits may be required before any physical development of a project can begin and it is the responsibility of the applicant to determine the applicability of and acquisition of such permits. In order to avoid delays and ensure that Water Right approvals conform to applicable local ordinances, applicants should contact local governmental entities in advance to determine what ordinances are in place that affect the proposed project and to make sure that Water Right filings conform to those ordinances. The approval of a Water Right application does not imply any approval of a project by any other governmental entity. Approval of the project proposed in the Water Right application should be obtained from local governmental entities as necessary to implement a project.

      REFERENCES

    Technical Publication No. 2, The Ogden Valley Artesian Reservoir, Weber County, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1945.

    Technical Publication No. 27, Water Resources of the Heber-Kamas-Park City Area, North-Central Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1970.

    Technical Publication No. 35, Ground-water Conditions in the East Shore Area, Box Elder, Davis, and Weber Counties, Utah, 1960-69; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1972.

    Technical Publication No. 76, Reconnaissance of the Quality of Surface Water in the Weber River Basin, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1983.

    Technical Publication No. 77, Ground-water Reconnaissance of the Central Weber River Area, Morgan and Summit Counties, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1984.

    Technical Publication No. 85, Water Resources of the Park City Area, Utah, with Emphasis on Ground Water; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1986.

    Technical Publication No. 90, Seepage Studies of the Weber River and the Davis-Weber and Ogden Valley Canals, Davis and Weber Counties, Utah, 1985; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1987.

    Technical Publication No. 93, Ground-Water Resources of the East Shore Area of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, and Simulated Effects of Ground-Water Withdrawals; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1990.

    Technical Publication No. 99, Hydrology of Ogden Valley and the Surrounding Area, Eastern Weber County, Utah, and Computer Simulation of the Valley-Fill Aquifer System; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1990.

    Technical Publication No. 115, Hydrology and snowmelt simulation of Snyderville Basin, Park City, and adjacent areas, Summit County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1998.

    Basic Data Report No. 1, Records and Water-Level Measurements of Selected Wells and Chemical Analyses of Ground Water, East Shores Areas, Weber and Box Elder Counties, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1961.

    Basic Data Report No. 45, Selected Hydrologic Data from Wells in the East Shore Area of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, 1985; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1986.

    Information Bulletin No. 9, Projected 1975 Municipal Water Use Requirements, Weber County, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1962.

    Water Resource Bulletin No. 29, The Geology of the Kamas-Coalville Region, Summit County, Utah, and its Relation to Ground-Water Conditions; Utah Geological Survey; 2002. Note: Very large download!

    UGS Special Study, Hydrogeology of Morgan Valley, Morgan County, Utah; Utah Geological Survey; 2011.

    USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5213, Steady-State Numerical Groundwater Flow Model of the Great Basin Carbonate and Alluvial Aquifer System; 2014.

    USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5072, Groundwater Model of the Great Basin Carbonate and Alluvial Aquifer System Version 3.0: Incorporating Revisions in Southwestern Utah and East Central Nevada; 2017.

    UGS Special Study 156, Hydrogeology of the Powder Mountain Area, Weber and Cache Counties, Utah; 2016.

    UGS Open File Report 670, Forward Modeling of Well Pumpage from the Powder Mountain Carbonate Aquifer, Northern Utah; 2017.

    UGS Special Study #165 Characterization of the Groundwater System in Ogden Valley, Weber County Utah, Utah Geological Survey; 2019.

      MODELING

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

    Morgan Valley Ground-water Flow Model; 1984.

    Ogden Valley Ground-water Flow Model; 1991.

    Weber Delta Ground-water Flow Model, 1990.

      PREVIOUS PAGE UPDATES

    December 24, 2002, June 14, 2004, September 24, 2004, October 26, 2004, April 10, 2011, October 28, 2011, April 3, 2018, October 2, 2019

    Policy area in green,
    click on the map for more detail

      DESCRIPTION

    This area includes the main stem of the Ogden River and its tributaries (North, Middle, and South Forks) in Weber County and the main stem of the Weber River and its tributaries (Beaver Creek, East Canyon Creek, Chalk Creek, Heiners Creek, Lost Creek, and Cottonwood Creek) in Weber, Morgan, and western Summit Counties.