WESTERN MOAB VICINITY - AREA 01

Updated: February 17, 2005

DESCRIPTION:        Located along the western 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 T15S to T30S.  It is bordered on the north by the Book Cliffs, on the east by Colorado, on the south and southeast by the Colorado River, and on the west by the Green River drainage.  The highest point in the area is the 9,450 foot Nutter Peaks in the Book Cliffs, while the lowest is the confluence with the Green River at about 3,780 feet, giving a total relief of about 5,670 feet.  Click here to see a map of the area.

MANAGEMENT:     A Proposed Determination of Water Rights was published in 1993; an Interlocutory Decree was issued in 1995.  The only other decree in this area is the 1938 West Water Creek Decree .  There is no state-administered distribution system in this area.  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.  Requests for extensions of time in which to submit proof will be critically reviewed after the initial five year period.

GENERAL:                Applications are advertised in the Moab Times Independent or the San Juan Record depending on the county where the source is located.  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.

MODELING:            None.