Water Plans
State Water Plans
Water Resources Plan (2021) |
The Division provides comprehensive water planning for the state. This is summarized in the State Water Plan. The State Water Plan is currently being overhauled and updated and will reflect the new regional conservation goals. |
River Basin Plans
The River Basin Plans are the latest in the “Utah State Water Plan” series and are intended to guide and inform water-related planning and management within the 11 river basins of the state of Utah. They summarize key data obtained through the previous water planning documents, introduce new data where available, and address issues of importance to all future water planning efforts.
Bear River Basin (2004) |
Cedar/Beaver Basin (1995) |
Jordan River Basin (2010) |
Kanab/Virgin River Basin (1993) |
Sevier River Basin (1999) |
Uintah River Basin (2016) |
Utah Lake Basin (2014) |
Weber River Basin (2009) |
West Colorado River Basin (2000) |
West Desert Basin (2001) |
Special Studies
Regional Economic Values of the Bear River (January 2024) - This study examines the regional economic value of the Bear River. The sustainability of the river and its associated economic values could be diminished if its flows are reduced and water becomes too degraded. |
Impacts on Bear Lake Storage under Alternative High-Runoff Management Operations (December 2020) - This study identifies how much additional water could have been stored in Bear Lake between 1980 and 2018 if changes were made to the criteria by which PacifiCorp operates Bear Lake to reduce the risk of flooding on Bear Lake and on the Bear River below Bear Lake. |
Climate Change, Water Resources and Potential Adaptation Strategies in Utah (March 2020) - This report reviews the historical observations and projected trends of the major climate variables, summarizes potential impacts on Utah’s water resource management and recommends adaptation strategies. |
Detecting Leaks in Utah’s Municipal Water Systems (2013) -This document extends the “Utah State Water Plan” series by taking a look at a conservation measure recommended to all water utilities in the state: Water Audits and Leak Detection Programs. It does so by surveying leak detection efforts being undertaken by some of Utah’s municipal water suppliers. |
The Water – Energy Nexus in Utah (2012) - In locations where scarcity of water and/or energy exists, they can develop a constraining relationship where lack of one disrupts supply of the other. This is what is described by the term “water-energy nexus.” |
Outdoor Water Use Efficiency of Utah’s Universities and Colleges (2012) -This report has been in response to the growing concern that large institutional water users are not doing their part to conserve water. However, as shown in this report, major colleges and universities across the state are trying to use water efficiently. |
Feasibility of Graywater Usage in Utah (2011) - This report reviews how graywater use systems (decentralized systems) could function in Utah. |
The Cost of Water in Utah (2010) - The Division of Drinking Water, in conjunction with the Utah Division of Water Rights and the Division of Water Resources, conducts a survey of community drinking water systems within the state. This report utilizes the results of the Billing and Rate Portion of the 2006 Community Water System Survey that was compiled by the Division of Drinking Water. |
Managing Sediment in Utah’s Reservoirs (2010) - This document is the latest in the “Utah State Water Plan” series and provides important information regarding a significant issue that is negatively impacting Utah’s water supply: reservoir sedimentation. It examines the impacts of sedimentation in Utah’s reservoirs and estimates current and future storage losses. |
Drought in Utah: Learning from the Past – Preparing for the Future (2007) - This document describes drought of the past century (instrumental record) and compares these droughts with pre-instrumental droughts of the not-so-distant past and ancient times, in an attempt to more fully describe drought variability in Utah and the West. |
Conjunctive Management of Surface & Groundwater in Utah (2005) - This report introduces and promotes conjunctive management with aquifer storage and recovery in Utah. It describes some of the problems facing Utah’s groundwater resources and shows how conjunctive management offers proven methods to mitigate some of these problems and thus more fully utilize the available water supply. |
Water Reuse in Utah (2005) - A look at opportunities for water reuse in Utah. |
Water Data
Water Use Data Collection Report (2018) - This study evaluates the state’s method of collecting water use data, estimates the overall accuracy of the results, and makes recommendations for further improvements. |
Municipal & Industrial Water Use Data V3 (2015) - This report is the record of 2015 municipal and industrial water use and supply for each community water system throughout Utah. |
Municipal and Industrial Water Use in Utah (2010) - Since the publication of the Utah State Water Plan in 1990, the Utah Division of Water Resources has prepared a detailed summary of Utah’s municipal and industrial (M&I) water every 5 years. This effort includes the quantification of both potable (drinking) and non-potable (secondary) M&I water supplies and uses for community, non-community, self-supplied industries and private domestic water systems. The Division of Water Resources has summarized all M&I data for each of the hydrologic basins in this statewide summary for quick and access information about M&I water use. |
Residential Water Use (2009) - Survey results and analysis for residential water use for 17 Utah communities. |
Development
Draft Green River Pipeline Analysis (February 2021) - In 2020, the Utah Legislature instructed the Utah Division of Water Resources to update the estimated project costs associated with a 2002 Draft Green River Pipeline Analysis and the 2003 Addendum. The study analyzed the potential cost of importing 60,000 acre-feet of water from the Green River of the Colorado River Basin delivering water to the Bear River or Weber River basins. Also see, Green River Pipeline Cost Analysis Fact Sheet. |
Draft Bear River Pipeline Concept Report (2014)
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Statewide Water Infrastructure Plan (2013) - A “road map” of Utah’s municipal water supply and infrastructure requirements needed to supply water to the six million people projected to live in Utah by 2060. |
Draft Green River Pipeline Concept Report (2002) - This report looks at various alternatives to import water from the Green River drainage, a major tributary to the Colorado River, for use along the Wasatch Front. It investigates the feasibility of importing water from either Fontenelle Reservoir in western Wyoming or Flaming Gorge Reservoir, near the Utah Wyoming border, into the Bear River or Weber River drainage. This report remains in draft form and is a preliminary analysis. On March 3, 2020, the Utah House of Representatives voted to approve H.B. 328, which tasks the Division of Water Resources with updating the cost estimates of the study. The bill is awaiting consideration by the Senate. |
Conservation
Regional Conservation Goals (2019) - Water conservation goals were established for nine regions around the state for municipal and industrial (M&I) water conservation. M&I includes residential, commercial, institutional (for example, schools and parks), and industrial water use, and excludes agriculture, mining and power generation. |
M&I Water Conservation Plan (2014) - This report clarifies the state’s M&I water conservation goal and how progress toward achieving this goal is being monitored; it emphasizes the role water conservation plays in meeting Utah’s future water needs; and also presents Utah’s plan to ensure the state achieves this goal. |
Utah’s M&I Conservation Plan | Investing in the Future (2012) - Utah is growing rapidly. This growth has prompted legitimate concerns about the state’s ability to meet continually increasing municipal and industrial water demands with the current available water supplies. As part of its ongoing state water planning efforts, the Division of Water Resources has identified water conservation as a critical component in overcoming these concerns and helping meet future needs. |
Other
Water For Utah (2024) - A review of duties and funding programs of the division and Board of Water Resources. |
Water For Utah (2023) - A review of duties and funding programs of the division and Board of Water Resources. |
Water For Utah (2022) - A review of duties and funding programs of the division and Board of Water Resources. |
Water For Utah (2020) - A review of duties and funding programs of the division and Board of Water Resources. |
Drought Contingency Plan (2019) - The Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin states have developed contingency plans both independently and collaboratively. The product of these discussions is five documents that comprise the Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) for the Colorado River. |
Recommended State Water Strategy (2017) - In 2013, Gov. Herbert asked the State Water Strategy Advisory Team to make recommendations for a 50-year state water strategy. This document details the findings. |
Legislative Audit Process Reports (2015) - These reports will take you to the audit process that identified recommendations and opportunities to improve water-use data. |