UTAH DIVISION OF WATER RIGHTS -

WHITE CANYON - AREA 99

Updated: April 16, 2002

DESCRIPTION: This area lies along the east side of the Colorado River and Lake Powell from the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers to the confluence of the San Juan arm of Lake Powell with the main part of the lake. Ranging from T30S to T41S, it is in the westernmost part of San Juan County. This area lacks perennial streams and water is scarce. This area is bordered on the east by the Abajo (Blue) Mountains and on the west by the Colorado River and Lake Powell. The highest point in the area is 9,058 foot Bears Ears in the Abajo Mountains, while the lowest is the shore of Lake Powell at about 3,700 feet, giving a total relief of about 5,360 feet. Click here to see a map of the area.

MANAGEMENT: No Proposed Determination of Water Rights book has compiled or published, although mapping and other work is currently underway. There are no state-administered distribution systems 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 WATER - Surface waters of the area are very limited. New diversions and consumptive uses would be limited to small uses and a diversion restriction of 5.73 acre-feet per year. Fixed-time and temporary applications could exceed this amount if such a supply could be found. Temporary and fixed-time appropriations are limited to the amount of water needed to irrigate 60 acres or an equivalent amount for other uses.

GROUND WATER - There are some limited ground-water resources available. Permanent applications are generally limited to as described above. It is likely that wells would have to be drilled to a considerable depth to access water. Fixed-time and temporary applications may exceed policy limits.

GENERAL: Applications are advertised in the San Juan Record. 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.