Snyderville/East Canyon Creek Water Bank Pilot Project

Background

Various stakeholders, including environmental NGOs, a municipal sewer district and local municipalities, wanted to use water banking to improve instream flows in East Canyon Creek during critical low flows in late summer.

Need

Additional instream flows are needed to improve habitat and aesthetics, decrease nutrient concentrations and decrease stream temperature.

Progress

The project team provided assistance to organize the local stakeholders and discuss the various aspects of using water banking as a tool to generate instream flows. The project team assisted with:

  1. a monitoring plan and distribution framework
  2. a survey to gauge interest and work commitments to form a water bank
  3. analysis of local rights potentially available

Current Status

The local stakeholders decided that they were not ready to commit the necessary staff time and costs to develop a formal water bank. They decided to stop pursuit of a water bank.

Participating Parties

Distribution Items

As part of the water banking pilot project activities the Division of Water Resources funded six new telemetry sites along East Canyon Creek to monitor real time stream flows. With this information local stakeholders will for the first time be able to measure flows in East Canyon Creek to an accuracy needed to facilitate a water lease for instream flows.