AREA 59 - WESTERN SALT LAKE VALLEY

Updated: November 3, 2022

Recent changes and additions in red text

  MANAGEMENT

Five Proposed Determination of Water Rights books have been published: the Northwest subdivision in 1975, the Central and West subdivisions in 1977, and the Southwest subdivision and a supplemental book in 1979. No pre-trial orders have been issued. There are several other decrees in this area.

There are two state-administered distribution systems in this area. The Utah Lake-Jordan River Distribution System is administered by the Utah Lake-Jordan Commissioner. The Lower Jordan River Distribution System is administered by the Lower Jordan Commissioner.

This area is subject to the conditions of the Utah Lake Water Distribution Plan and the Salt Lake Valley Ground-water Management Plan.

Click here to see statistics for this area.

  SOURCES

Surface Water - All surface water are fully appropriated. Development of new, or different, consumptive use projects involving surface water must be accomplished by change applications based on owned or acquired existing rights. Non-consumptive use applications, such as hydroelectric power generation, will be considered on their individual merits. Changes from surface to underground sources are not allowed in the valley fill. Fixed-time and temporary projects involving surface waters must be handled by temporary change applications. Applicants are placed on notice that development should be pursued as soon as possible, and requests for extensions of time in which to file proof will be critically reviewed after an initial five year period.

Ground Water - The ground water resource of this area is very limited. The development of other new, or different, consumptive use projects must be accomplished by change applications based on owned or acquired existing rights. Changes from the shallow aquifer to the principal aquifer will not be approved. Changes will be restricted by the maximum allowable withdrawal amounts under the management plan. New wells must be so spaced that when pumped at the maximum authorized flow rate, the resulting drawdown in any neighboring, earlier priority well will not exceed 12 feet. Changes from surface to underground sources are not allowed in the valley fill. Fixed-time and temporary projects must be handled by temporary change applications. Applicants are placed on notice that development should be pursued as soon as possible, and requests for extensions of time in which to file proof will be critically reviewed after an initial five year period.

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 PLAN

This area is subject to the conditions of the Salt Lake Valley Ground-water Management Plan, the objectives of which are to promote wise use of the groundwater resource, to protect existing water rights and to address water quality issues and over-appropriation of ground water in the valley.

  GROUNDWATER CHANGE APPLICATIONS

On June 25, 2002, the State Engineer adopted a groundwater management plan which implemented guidelines for evaluating change applications that propose to move the point of diversion within the Salt Lake Valley. The following guidelines apply for evaluating change applications:

  1. Change applications that propose to transfer water rights historically supplied from the shallow aquifer to the principal aquifer will not be approved.
  2. Change applications that propose to transfer water rights into the eastern region, into the western region, or out of the northern region will not be approved (See Map).
  3. Change applications that propose to transfer water rights into a restricted area will not be approved (See Map).
  4. Change applications that propose to transfer water rights into the Southwest Remediation Area will be critically reviewed so as not to interfere with the remediation process. (See Map).
  5. Change applications that propose to drill a replacement well within a distance of 2,640 feet from the original point of diversion may be approved provided that the application complies with the criteria listed under items 1 and 3, above.
  6. Change applications that propose to transfer water to other sections will be evaluated using the Transfer Index Number (TIN). Change applications will not be approved if the the Transfer Index Number for the hereafter point of diversion is greater than the Region Limit unless the applicant can show that:
    1. There is sufficient reason to believe that existing water rights will not be impaired.
    2. Compensation and/or adequate replacement water will be provided to existing water right holders if impairment occurs.
    3. Additional ground-water withdrawals will not significantly reduce water levels, degrade the water quality, or otherwise negatively impact the ground-water system.
For more information regarding the policy please refer to web pages detailing the Salt Lake Valley Groundwater Management Plan.

To calculate the TIN of a proposed change application, an online evaluation tool is available.

  GENERAL

Applications are advertised in the Deseret News. The general irrigation diversion duty, which the State Engineer uses for evaluation purposes, is 5.0 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 Utah Lake-Jordan River Regional Office in Salt Lake City.

Other requirements

Water Right applicants are 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. 31, Water Resources of Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1971.

Technical Publication No. 34, Summary of Water Resources of Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1971.

Technical Publication No. 82, Seepage Study of Six Canals in Salt Lake County, Utah, 1982-83; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1985.

Technical Publication No. 87, Ground-water Conditions in Salt Lake County, Utah, 1969-83, and Predicted Effects of Increased Withdrawals from Wells; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1987.

Technical Publication No. 89, Chemical Quality of Ground-water Flow in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, 1969-85; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1987.

Technical Publication No. 110A, Chemical Composition of Ground-water, Hydrologic Properties of Basin-fill Material, and Ground-water Movement in Salt Lake Valley, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1995.

Technical Publication No. 110B, Numerical Simulation of Ground-water Flow in Salt Lake Valley, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1995.

Technical Publication No. 110C, Particle Tracking Analysis of Flow Paths and Travel Times within the Capture Areas of Well Fields in Salt Lake Valley, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1995.

Technical Publication No. 110D, Numerical Simulation of Solute Transport in Salt Lake Valley, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1995.

Water Circular No. 1, Ground Water in the Jordan Valley, Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1965.

Basic-Data Report No. 4, Selected Hydrologic Data, Jordan Valley, Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1963.

Basic-Data Report No. 11, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data Collected through 1964, Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1966.

Basic-Data Report No. 12, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data, 1965, Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1966.

Basic-Data Report No. 13, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data, 1966, Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1967.

Basic-Data Report No. 15, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data, 1967, Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1968.

Basic-Data Report No. 17, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data, 1968, Salt Lake County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1969.

Basic-Data Report No. 36, Hydrologic and Climatologic Data, Salt Lake County, Utah, Water Year 1980, 1981; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1981.

Basic-Data Report No. 40, Surface Water and Climatologic Data, Salt Lake County, Utah, Water Year 1981, with Selected Data for Water Years 1980, 1982, and 1983; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1983.

Basic-Data Report No. 44, Selected Hydrologic for Salt Lake Valley, Utah, October 1968 to October 1985; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1986.

Basic-Data Report No. 49, Selected Hydrologic Data for Salt Lake Valley, Utah, 1990-92, with Emphasis on Aquifer and Confining Layers; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1992.

Information Bulletin No. 13, Water Requirements of Lower Jordan River, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1964.

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.

  MODELING

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

Salt Lake Valley Ground-water Flow Model, 1987.

Salt Lake Valley Ground-water Flow Model, 1995.

  SCANNED DOCUMENTS

  PREVIOUS PAGE UPDATES

February 23, 2004, April 13, 2011, November 7, 2013
Policy area in green,
click on the map for more detail

  DESCRIPTION

Covering the western half of Salt Lake County from T2N to T4S, this area includes the flows of Rose Canyon Creek, Butterfield Canyon Creek, Bingham Canyon Creek, and a number of intermittent streams draining from the Oquirrh Mountains to the Jordan River and eventually the Great Salt Lake. The area is bordered on the north by Great Salt Lake, on the west by Tooele Valley, on the south by the Utah Lake drainage, and on the east by the eastern part of the Jordan River drainage. The highest point in the area is the 9,370 foot Butterfield Peaks, while the lowest is the surface of the Great Salt Lake at about 4,200 feet, giving a total relief of about 5,170 feet.