MOAB VICINITY - AREA 05

Updated: February 17, 2005

DESCRIPTION:        Located along the eastern side of the Colorado River from its point of entry into Utah to its confluence with the Green River, this area extends through Grand County into San Juan County from T19S to T30S.  Major streams in the area include the Dolores River, Castle Creek, Mill Creek, Pack Creek, and Kane Springs Creek.  It is bordered on the north and west by the Colorado River, on the east by Colorado, and on the south and southwest by the San Juan and Green River drainages, respectively.  The highest point in the area is 12,721 foot Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains, while the lowest is the confluence with the Green River at about 3,780 feet, giving a total relief of about 8,940 feet.  Click here to see a map of the area.

MANAGEMENT:     A Proposed Determination of Water Rights is currently being compiled.  There are thirteen court decrees in this area covering the waters of Mill, Pack, Deep, Rock, and Little Castle Creeks.  The only state-administered distribution system in this area is the Mill Creek Distribution System administered by the Mill Creek Commissioner.  Because 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.  Click here to see statistics for this area.

SOURCES:
SURFACE & GROUND WATER - The water resources of this area are considered to be limited.  New appropriations are limited to small amounts of beneficial use, not to exceed 5.73 acre-feet per year.  Temporary and fixed-time appropriations are limited to the amount of water needed to irrigate 60 acres or an equivalent amount for other uses.  Changes are 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.  Fixed-time and temporary applications are evaluated in a similar fashion.  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. 

The following specific restrictions apply in the more populated areas.  The Castle Valley area, where lots are sold with water under the development by Leisure Industries Inc. (Castle Valley River Ranchos), is closed to new appropriations, except for domestic filings made to replace prior lapsed applications.  Many lot owners have conveyed their rights to the Town of Castle Valley to facilitate a community system.  No appropriations for domestic use will be approved within the city limits of Moab.  Limited stockwatering and 1/4 acre of irrigation use east of Main Street will be considered.  Larger use appropriations west of Main Street to the Colorado River will be accepted and reviewed on their individual merits.

GENERAL:                Applications are advertised in the Moab Times Independent.  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 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 Southeastern Regional Office in Price.

REFERENCES:         Technical Publication No. 15, Water from Bedrock in the Colorado Plateau of Utah; Utah State Engineer; 1966.

Technical Publication No. 31, Geology and Water Resources of the Spanish Valley Area, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1971.

Technical Publication No. 86, Bedrock Aquifers of Eastern San Juan County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1986.

Technical Publication No. 94, The Base of Moderately Saline Water in San Juan County, Utah; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1990.

Technical Publication No. 100, Ground-water Conditions in the Grand County Area, Utah, with Emphasis on the Mill Creek-Spanish Valley Area; Utah Department of Natural Resources; 1990.

MODELING:            Castle Valley Ground-water Flow Model, 2002. (In review)

Spanish Valley Ground-water Flow Model, 2002 (In review)