The vision of Utah’s leaders has provided sufficient water for present needs. Continued vision and careful planning will assure these needs are met for future generations. (Photo of downtown Salt Lake City from City Creek Canyon.)

Utah's water resources play an integral role in the life of every Utahn. From a morning shower to a weekend trip down the Colorado River, water is interwoven into nearly every activity. Use of Utah's water resources has allowed the rugged landscape to be settled, has provided Utahns with numerous employment and recreational opportunities, and has made possible a high quality of life. The far-reaching vision of Utah's leaders, coupled with modern engineering technology, has allowed Utah's water supply to be harnessed and used on a large scale. Water has been made so readily available, in fact, that its relative scarcity in Utah's semi-arid climate is often overlooked. This reality must be fully recognized and appropriate decisions made in order to provide sufficient water for Utah's future population.

Utah's Water Resources: Planning for the Future emphasizes the importance of careful planning and wise management in meeting future needs. It estimates Utah's available water supply, makes projections of water need, explores how these needs will most efficiently be met, and discusses other important values, including water quality and the environment. This document will be a useful guide and reference to local water planners and managers as they strive to meet the many water challenges facing Utah. It will also be of help to those in the general public who are interested in making greater contributions to water-related decisions being made by local, state and federal government officials.

The following paragraphs summarize the main points of each chapter:

In order to meet future needs brought about by growth, Utah must promote effective water conservation and water management technologies. This, along with carefully planned water developments, will secure sufficient water for the future.

Utah's institutional structure is well prepared for the challenges at hand. Through careful coordination and cooperation, Utah's water needs will be provided for and the integrity and beauty of the environment will be preserved.

While most of Utah's available water supply (7.3 million acre-feet per year) is already used, the Division of Water Resources estimates that 790,000 acre-feet per year can yet be developed based on current legal, political, economic and environmental constraints. Much of this developable water supply (420,000 acre-feet per year) is located in the Colorado River drainage, away from the large population centers along the Wasatch Front. The Bear River drainage, with approximately 250,000 acre-feet per year of developable water available to Utah, represents the most significant source of water available to these areas.

Despite the rapid growth in urban water demands, agricultural irrigation will continue to be the primary use of Utah's developed water supply. These diversions will slowly decline from current levels near 4.6 million acre-feet per year to about 4.2 million acre-feet per year as growth in the M&I sector displaces traditional agricultural uses.

In addition to the changes in agricultural and M&I water demands, environmental and recreational uses of Utah's water will continue to play important roles in the future. Pressure to use water to sustain important environmental values and recreational purposes will increase.

Much of Utah's public water supply is used to irrigate residential landscapes. Conservation measures such as incentive pricing can be effective at reducing water consumption.

The Division of Water Resources has also set an M&I water conservation goal to reduce the per capita demand on public water supplies 25 percent by the year 2050. This equates to an annual volume of about 400,000 acre-feet. This goal will be achieved as water suppliers implement various conservation measures and programs that have proved effective. Among these are incentive pricing, outdoor watering and landscape guidelines and ordinances, water audits, meter installation on all water connections, rebates and other incentive programs, and leak detection and repair programs. In addition to these measures, a strong water conservation education program is key to long-term success.

• Agricultural Water Transfers: converting agricultural water to M&I uses as the associated land changes from agricultural to urban.
• Agricultural Water-use Efficiency: implementing improved operating practices and irrigation technology to improve water use efficiency.
• Conjunctive Use: using surface and ground water supplies together instead of separately to optimize beneficial use.
• Aquifer Storage and Recovery: storing excess surface water in ground water reservoirs and retrieving it later.
• Secondary Water Systems: piping untreated water separately for use on outdoor landscapes, thereby preserving treated water for potable purposes.
• Cooperative Water Operating Agreements: contractual agreements between water suppliers to better meet needs within each system, often using facilities and resources jointly to meet peak or emergency demands.
• Water Reuse: recycling effluent from wastewater treatment facilities.

The completed Central Utah Project will help meet the needs of the Wasatch Front. The Bear River Project and Lake Powell Pipeline, currently in the feasibility stages, are two major projects that are being investigated to help meet the M&I needs of the Wasatch Front, and Washington and Kane counties, respectively. Numerous smaller projects will also be needed to satisfy the demands of growth in other areas.

One option that has long been recognized as a means of enhancing the water supply is a form of weather modification known as cloud seeding. Areas in Utah that actively practice cloud seeding have realized a 7-20 percent increase in April 1 snow water content, and a combined total increase in runoff of approximately 13 percent. The estimated cost of water developed in these areas by cloud seeding is about one dollar per acre-foot.

In addition to new projects and weather modification, much of the existing infrastructure is old and not of sufficient capacity to meet projected needs. These systems will need to be upgraded and expanded as necessary. Water-related funding should keep pace with these needs so systems can operate efficiently and provide necessary safety to customers.

	Water quality and environmental values will continue to play important roles in water resource decisions. Addressing these topics effectively will allow Utah's population to grow and the many benefits provided by precious water resources to be sustained. (Photo of Mill Creek in Salt Lake County, courtesy of the Utah Travel Council and Frank Jensen.)

Water quality topics that are of particular concern include: implementing the Environmental Protection Agency's new Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rules; maintaining the integrity of riparian and flood plain corridors amidst increasing development pressure; regulating storm water discharges within urban areas; analyzing and controlling the effects of nutrient loading on Utah's rivers and water bodies; managing animal feedlot operations; and dealing with high septic tank density problems.

Environmental topics include: protecting and restoring endangered species to sustainable populations; preserving wetlands from loss or degradation; maintaining instream flows for fish and wildlife, recreational and other purposes; and analyzing the impacts of wilderness and wild and scenic river designation on the ability to access and use certain water resources.

Other considerations that are briefly discussed in this chapter include land management and water yield, reserved water rights, and the Colorado River. Careful consideration of these and other issues at the local level will help assure the success of local projects.