Bear Lake, Utah

Utah PROJECTS

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  • Great Basin Ground Water Availability
  • Stream Stats
  • Great Salt Lake Nutrient Cycling
  • Salinity Load Assessment

• NAWQA Program
  • Great Salt Lake Basins

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USGS IN YOUR STATE

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Statewide Water Use in Utah

Project Chief: Lawrence Spangler, USGS Salt Lake City, Utah
Period of Project: October 2006 to October 2012

PROBLEM

Utah waters are under stress from increasing demands for domestic, industrial, agricultural, and other uses and from demands for greater protection of water quality. Competition for water dictates that available supplies are matched with uses most beneficial to the common good. Information is being collected on a continuous basis describing the quality of available water, but information relating to the quantity withdrawn and the various uses of the water is only collected on a statewide basis every 5 years. Without adequate information on uses of water, decision makers cannot resolve many critical water problems such as water rights, environmental impacts, energy development, and resource allocations.

OBJECTIVES

To provide water-use information for the optimum utilization and management of the State's water resources for the overall benefit of the people of Utah and the United States. On a 5-year basis, this program will collect, store, and disseminate water-use data to complement data on availability and quality of the State's water resources. The program will be responsive to the data needs of local users, the Geological Survey, and other Federal and State agencies.

APPROACH

For the 2010 National compilation, major withdrawals will be determined for the categories of public supply and self-supplied domestic, irrigation, aquaculture, thermoelectric, mining, and industrial use. Most data for public supply and industrial use will be obtained from the Utah Division of Water Rights. Public-supply domestic (residential) deliveries will be obtained from the Utah Division of Water Resources. Self-supplied domestic use will be calculated on the basis of per capita use and population data. Ground-water withdrawals for irrigation are compiled annually by Utah Water Science Center technicians. Surface-water withdrawals for irrigation will be determined by using a GIS-based model developed by the Utah Division of Water Resources for the 2005 compilation. Aquaculture withdrawals will be obtained from the Division of Wildlife Resources as well as the Department of Agriculture. Withdrawals for thermoelectric use along with power generated will be obtained directly from the facilities. Livestock withdrawals will be determined by Water-use program personnel and calculated from pre-determined coefficients. Reclaimed wastewater for industrial and irrigation use also will be determined. Population data by county will be obtained from the 2010 census and compared with population served as reported by the Divisions of Water Rights and Water Resources.

PRODUCTS

Data obtained for the 2010 compilation will be published in a U.S. Geological Survey Circular. The data will be presented on a State-wide basis for all categories.