Escalante Valley Water Users Assn.

1
Escalante Valley Water Users Assn.The Ground
Water Management Plan

• October 4, 2012

2
Escalante Valley Water Users Assn. Who is the
(EVW)

• Formed by the irrigation water users in the EV
• Governed by a 9 member Board of Directors
• Annual meetings have been held since 2004
• Many, Many meetings with State Engineer.
• Web Page created to keep the public informed
• http//evwua.org

3
Escalante Valley Water Users Assn. Activity
History

• 2003 -Collected assessments from water users.
• 2004 -Retained Dee Hansen to lobby the
  legislature
• 2005 - Debated with the legislative task force
• 2006 - Provided valuable input to ground water
  law
• 2007 - Tracked the State Engineers Activities
• 2008 - Negotiating with the State Engineer
• 2009 - Lobby local legislators funding
  moratorium
• 2010 - Develop relations with new State Engineer
• 2011 - Negotiate the frame work for new plan
• 2012 - Provide input into the final plan

4
Ground Water Management History

• 2006 - The legislature passed the Safe Yield
  law
• 2007- The State Engineer began the process in
  Beryl
• 2009 - Legislature passed a Moratorium on
  funding
• 2009 - New State Engineer was hired - Kent Jones
• 2010 - The legislature passed the Local District
  law
• 2011 - The State Engineer engaged the water users
• 2012 - The St Engineer incorporated water user
  ideas

5
Conservation cropping will be allowed to meet
the reductions
Adaptive Management Review Period
6
Estimated water table levels from Dee Hansen
study
7
Water Right Reduction Options

• Default- Priority Date Governed by St Engineer
• Voluntary Pooling by Water Users
• Creation of a Water District

8
Default Process Priority Date

• The State Engineer absent a voluntary arrangement
  by law must cut by priority date.
• Projected cuts are on the State website
• http//waterrights.utah.gov
• Copies are in the back of the room

9
Voluntary Arrangement

• Pooling of water rights to collectively achieve
  the necessary water use reductions prorata.
• No formal organization-
• St. Engineer administers cuts as a group
• Simple agreement signed by water users
• Creating a mutual priority date
• Outside the voluntary group, the St Engineer cuts
  by priority date
• VOLUNTARY

10
Local Water District

• Inclusive of everyone
• Allows for Culinary solution
• Local control not like a special service
  district
• Created voluntarily by action of those affected
• Self Governance - Board representative of water
  users interests
• Voting by water right not land ownership
• Ability to bond/borrow, enter into agreements
  receive grants
• Allows for protection of water right interests -
  water banking
• Ability authority to tax as needed Low
  Administrative costs

11
Where Do We Go?

• We have a water management plan that meets the
  objectives of the water law statue and protects
  the economic interests of the water users, the
  local community and State. win-win
• Our chore is to determine the best option to
  achieve water use reductions