Weber River Basin Planning for the Future
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WEBER RIVER BASIN PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE September 2009 By: Utah Division of Water Resources With input from the State Water Plan Coordinating Committee (see inside-back cover for participating agencies) U T A H S T A T E W A T E R P L A N This document and other state water plans are available online at: www.water.utah.gov Table of Contents ii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Board of Water Resources acknowledges the following staff members of the Utah Division of Water Resources for their dedication and valuable contribution to this document: Dennis J. Strong - Director Eric Millis - Deputy Director Todd Adams - Assistant Director Todd Stonely - Section Chief, River Basin Planning (Project Manager/Primary Author) Ken Short - Senior Engineer, River Basin Planning Eric Klotz - Section Chief, Water Conservation, Education and Use Dave Cole - Section Chief, Hydrology and Computer Applications Eric Edgley - Section Chief, Technical Services The board also extends its gratitude to members of the Utah State Water Plan Coordinating Committee and the Weber River Basin Planning Advisory Group, who helped review the document for accuracy, provided insight and data, or otherwise lent their support. The board also extends a special thanks to the other individuals who took time to attend the public meetings held throughout the Weber River basin in conjunction with this document. These individuals represented a broad range of interests including water professionals, government and civic leaders, environmental groups, water-related businesses and concerned citizens. Many of these people provided the division with valuable written and oral comments, all of which have been carefully considered and incorporated where possible. Without all these contributions, the product before you would be incomplete. iii Table of Contents iv Table of Contents PREFACE One of the major responsibilities of the Utah Division of Water Resources is comprehensive water planning. Over the past two decades, the division has prepared a series of documents under the title "Utah State Water Plan." This includes two statewide water plans and an individual water plan for each of the state’s eleven major hydrologic river basins. Preparing these plans involves several major data collection programs as well as extensive inter-agency and public outreach efforts. Much is learned through this process; state, local, and federal water planners and managers obtain valuable information for use in their programs and activities, and the public receives the opportunity to provide meaningful input in improving the state’s water resources stewardship. This document is the latest in the "Utah State Water Plan" series and is intended to guide and direct water- related planning and management in the Weber River Basin over the next several years. It summarizes key data obtained through the previous water planning documents, introduces new data where available, and addresses issues of importance to all future water planning efforts. It identifies water use trends and makes projections of water use. The document also explores various means of meeting future water demands and identifies important issues that need to be considered when making water-related decisions. It is hoped that water managers and planners within the basin will find the data, insights and direction provided by this document valuable in their efforts. The general public will discover many useful facts and information helpful in understanding the basin’s water resources. Both audiences should appreciate the real-life, Weber River Basin examples highlighted in the text, sidebars and photographs. Although the use of technical words is avoided wherever possible, an extensive glossary illuminates exact usage of terminology that may be unfamiliar. In addition to the printed form of this document, the Utah Division of Water Resources has made a “pdf” version available on the Internet. This can be accessed through the division’s home page at: www.water.utah.gov. This web page allows this document and other water planning documents to be viewed by the largest audience possible, thus facilitating better planning and management at the state and local level. It also provides a convenient mode for readers to provide comment and feedback to the division regarding its water planning efforts. v Table of Contents vi Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................................... iii PREFACE............................................................................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................ix LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................................................x SIDEBARS ..........................................................................................................................................................x EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................xi Chapter Page 1 INTRODUCTION: WATERS OF THE WEBER RIVER BASIN...............................................................1 Purpose of this Document.......................................................................................................................1 The Significance of Water Resources.....................................................................................................1 History of Water Planning and Development.........................................................................................3 The Pioneer Period (1847-1880) ......................................................................................................3 An Era of Secularization (1880-1935) .............................................................................................4 The Modern Age (1936-Present)......................................................................................................4 State Water Planning: Fulfilling a Stewardship......................................................................................5 1997 Weber River Basin Plan ..........................................................................................................5 The 2001 Utah State Water Plan ......................................................................................................6 The Current Plan..............................................................................................................................6 2 WATER SUPPLY.........................................................................................................................................9 Climate....................................................................................................................................................9 Precipitation ...................................................................................................................................10 Evaporation and Transpiration.......................................................................................................11 Average Annual Water Supply .............................................................................................................13 Surface Water.................................................................................................................................13 Ground Water.................................................................................................................................13 Available Water Supply .................................................................................................................16 Variability of Supply.............................................................................................................................16 Water Rights Policy..............................................................................................................................17 Weber and Ogden Rivers...............................................................................................................17 Davis County..................................................................................................................................18 3 POPULATION AND WATER USE TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS .....................................................21 The 21st Century: A Promising Era of Growth and Prosperity ............................................................21 Economic/Employment Trends and Projections............................................................................21 Population Trends and Projections.................................................................................................22 Quality Growth...............................................................................................................................23 Water and Limitations on Growth..................................................................................................25 Present and Future Uses of the Weber River Basin’s Water Resources ...............................................26 Municipal and Industrial................................................................................................................26