AREA 49 - SOUTHEAST UINTA BASIN

Updated: April 11, 2011

  MANAGEMENT

No Proposed Determination of Water Rights book have been published for this area. There are no state-administered distribution systems in this area. Since 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. Negotiations with the Ute Indian Tribe are ongoing to determine the water rights granted under federal treaties and court cases. 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 are considered to be fully appropriated, except for isolated springs. New diversions and consumptive uses in these sources must be accomplished by change applications filed on owned or acquired rights. A large block of water under the Flaming Gorge Project has been transferred to the State of Utah and is available for some of these changes. Non-consumptive use applications, such as hydroelectric power generation, will be considered on their individual merits.

Ground Water - There is a limited ground-water resource available. Appropriations from isolated springs and underground water are generally limited to sufficient acre-foot amounts to serve the domestic needs of one family, irrigation of 1.0 acres, and a reasonable amount of livestock. Water is available for larger projects on a temporary or fixed-time basis, which are generally limited to five years. 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. 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 Vernal Express. Filings that may involve the diversion of water in Utah for use in Colorado (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 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 Northeastern Regional Office in Vernal.

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. 15, Water from Bedrock in the Colorado Plateau of Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1966.

Technical Publication No. 49, Hydrologic Reconnaissance of the Southern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1975.

Technical Publication No. 92, Base of Moderately Saline Ground Water in the Uinta Basin Area, Utah, with an Introductory Section Describing the Methods Used in Determining its Position; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1976.

Basic Data Report No. 29, Climatologic and Hydrologic Data, Southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado, Water Years 1975 and 1976; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1977.

Basic Data Report No. 33, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data, Southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado, Water Year 1977; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1979.

Basic Data Report No. 34, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data, Southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado, Water Year 1978; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1980.

Basic Data Report No. 42, Streamflow Characteristics of the Colorado River Basin in Utah through September 1981; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1987.

Endangered Fish Recovery Program Documents, Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program

  MODELING

None available.

  PREVIOUS PAGE UPDATES

None available.