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:
- a monitoring plan and distribution framework
- a survey to gauge interest and work commitments to form a water bank
- 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
- Weber Basin Water Conservancy District
- Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter
- Audubon Society
- Mountain Regional Special Service District
- Trout Unlimited
- Park City Municipal Corporation
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.
- Quarry Mountain
- JH Bailey
- West Grade
- Osguthorpe
- Ranch Creek 3
- Glenwild
