Central Utah Project Up-Date

Gene Shawcroft, Assistant General Manager CUWCD

Web: Posted June 11, 1999 

Mr. LeRoy W. Hooton, Jr. introduced Mr. Gene Shawcroft, Assistant General Manager for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District ("District"), who briefed the Public Utilities Advisory Committee on the Central Utah Project ("CUP"). Mr. Hooton also recognized Mr. Tim Doxey, Salt Lake County representative on the District's board of directors.

Mr. Shawcroft handed out two brochures for those in attendance to follow as part of his discussion.

The Central Utah Project

The function of the CUP is to develop a portion of Utah’s allocation of the Colorado River. Waters that historically have flowed from the Uintas to the Green River are collected and transported into the Strawberry Reservoir through the "Collection System." From Strawberry Reservoir water is brought through the Syar Tunnel into Diamond Fork, then into the Spanish Fork River and finally into Utah Lake. This water allows for an exchange of Provo River water that historically flowed into Utah Lake, which now can be stored in the Jordanelle Reservoir. So without the Strawberry water flowing into Utah Lake, there is not sufficient water rights to store water in the Jordanelle Reservoir.

The Salt Lake County Water Conservancy District ("SLCWCD") has an approved petition for 50,000 acre-feet of project water. This year SLCWCD will receive 30,000 acre-feet of the 50,000. The Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City has an approved petition for 20,000 acre-feet of water that will be delivered beginning in the year 2005 in 4, 000 acre-feet increments over a five year period.

Spanish Fork Nephi System ("SFN").

About a year ago the District, Department of Interior (DOI), and Mitigation Commission issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") on the SFN. The majority of the comments dealt with the Utah Lake and the delivery system to Nephi. There were very few comments regarding the Diamond Fork System. It was decided to separate the two projects and focus on the Diamond Fork System. A final supplement to the final EIS on Diamond Fork has been completed and is with the DOI for final review in preparation for filing. It should be completed in the near future. Once that document is approved, a "record of decision" will be issued that will allow Diamond Fork construction to move forward.

As a result of public comments, Monks Hollow Dam was eliminated from the Diamond Fork System. A pipeline from the end of Sixth Water Aqueduct to the beginning of the Diamond Fork Pipeline has been planned to replace it. This would complete the plumbing to get sufficient water from Strawberry Reservoir into the Spanish Fork River and to Utah Lake to allow the full exchange to Jordanelle, and the 70,000 acre-feet of water to come to Salt Lake County. So this piece of the plumbing is critical to make the exchange happen.

Other important features of the Diamond Fork System include conveyance facilities for the Strawberry Valley Project water, which is co-mingled with CUP water. The Diamond Fork Pipeline, which is already built, provides space for transbasin water and allows Diamond Fork Creek to flow as a natural stream. The Strawberry Valley project water for nearly 80 years has come down Diamond Fork Creek and has done significant environmental damage. By having this large pipeline installed at the bottom of the canyon, the water is conveyed through the pipeline and more natural flows can be maintained in Diamond Fork Creek.

There is an endangered specie Ute ladies’- tresses orchid that is positively impacted by the installation of this project. It also provides the plumbing to maintain the commitment to deliver water to both Salt Lake and North Utah Counties.

The Central Utah Project Completion Act ("CUPCA") was passed by congress in 1992 mandating minimum flows in Diamond Fork Creek. The Diamond Fork System allows those minimum flows to be maintained. The Act also created the Mitigation Commission who is responsible to design, construct, and maintain a facility that would maintain water quality and protect the environment of the canyon.

Once a record decision on Diamond Fork is received, CUWCD will be able to move forward with the re-scoping and planning of what was the lower half of the Spanish Fork Canyon Nephi Irrigation System, which is now called the Utah Lake Drainage Basin Water Delivery System. This will be done later this fall. The Diamond Fork portion of the former SFN is moving forward and the other portion is on hold until they get the environmental work completed for Diamond Fork.

Wasatch County Efficiency Project

The District is moving forward with the Wasatch County Water Efficiency Project. That project combines three separate authorizations in the legislation contained in CUPCA: 1.) Construction of a project in Wasatch County that would improve the efficiency of the irrigation system, 2.) Water conservation, and 3.) The replacement of the Daniels transbasin diversion.

Early in this century, the Daniels Irrigation Company diverted water from the Strawberry River across the mountain into Daniels Canyon and used it for irrigation in the southern portion of the Heber Valley. Under the efficiency project the water would be replaced, and the trans-basin diversion eliminated, leaving the water in the Strawberry Valley. The replacement water would be delivered from Jordanelle to Daniels Creek Irrigation Company. This would satisfy the need that has been in the southern end of the Heber Valley.

Committee member Mark Bauer asked where is the Daniels Creek Irrigation Company? Mr. Shawcroft explained that it is located in southern Heber Valley. The diversion works consists of a short tunnel at the headwaters of the Strawberry River. Which takes water across the mountain into the Heber Valley. The diversion would be eliminated and an equivalent amount of water would be provided from Jordenelle Reservoir in a pipeline that goes from Jordanelle to the southern part of Heber Valley. The project costs are about $27,500,000.00 and consist of about 44 miles of PVC pipeline ranging in diameter from 6 to 30 inches. Seven pump stations will be constructed in order to provide pressure irrigation to a major portion of the valley. They will also reline about 16-miles of canal to save some water. The project is under way and should be completed by the summer of 2000.

Uinta Basin

The District, the Department of Interior and others have been working for a number of years to develop a project for the Uinta Basin that would be feasible, economical, and environmental sensitive. A project that all parties felt comfortable with was planned and was progressing. About three weeks ago the District received word that the Business Committee of the Ute Tribe voted not to continue with the project. That was quite a blow. They believe after they have some time to think through the alternatives there will still be some smaller projects that can be done in the Basin that will provide benefits to the local irrigators. But the Department of Interior will discontinue any efforts on the larger Uinta Basin project.

Committee member Mark Bauer asked why the Utes' backed out? Mr. Shawcroft said he had heard the information they had received from the Department of Interior indicates there were likely some internal political issues, similar to what any governing body has. He said he didn’t know that they had a good explanation.

There were two major dams involved in the project; one of them was located on tribal property and of course that will not be an option. The Department of Interior will not force the project on the tribe, so they will not move forward with funding and future projects. Under CUPCA, authorized projects in the Uinta Basin were multiple, with two or three separate authorizations. Those that were associated with the project that dealt with tribal benefits and tribal land will likely be completely eliminated; however, there is some authorization for a replacement project that the federal Government would have a role in because of federal dollars.

The question was asked if a project was not built for the Tribe, will that affect the rest of the project. Mr. Shawcroft said no, that the CUPCA took care of the matter.

SFN Controversy Several Years Ago

Mr. Hooton reminded the committee that several years ago Zach Frankel of the Rivers Council approached the Mayor and City Council about a proposal to not build the SFN System and bring the water north to Salt Lake County. At that time the Advisory Committee was asked to hear the issue. Mr. Hooton asked Mr. Shawcroft if the SFN System is going to be built or is it out? Mr. Shawcroft said the SFN had been separated into two pieces, the Diamond Fork piece and the Utah Lake Drainage Basin piece. The Diamond Fork piece has to move forward and be built in order to provide the capacity to get Strawberry water into Utah Lake. If Diamond Fork were not built, then the 70,000 acre-feet of water that is committed to Salt Lake County would be in jeopardy.

In order to satisfy the exchange to Jordanelle, it takes about 86,000 acre-feet of water on a long-term average annual basis to make that happen. Regardless of what ever else happens to SFN and the Utah Lake Drainage Basin, we need about 86,000 acre-feet of water into Utah Lake to make the 70,000 acre-feet of water available to Salt Lake County.

A few years ago when people where claiming that there were large quantities of water to bring from the SFN, there was no factual basis for that -- there is just not enough water available. What the SFN did was take the 86,000 acre-feet of water that came over from the transmountain diversion, plus about 15,000 acre-feet more, and use the water and have the return flows came back to Utah Lake to satisfy the exchange to Jordanelle. The municipal and irrigation return flows made up the exchange water to Jordanelle. That is what the old SFN did. Once we get the record of decision and the Department of Interior resolves some issues with the Strawberry Water Users, a new scoping process will determine what to do with the remaining 15,000 acre-feet of water that is not necessarily physically needed to satisfy the exchange into Utah Lake for Jordanelle purposes. That is the water that was planned to go to Nephi, and Mona areas.

Once the scoping process begins, then the issue of where to use the remaining water will come up again; the process should begin in September or October.

A question was asked if Salt Lake City can participate in the scoping process. Mr. Hooton said that the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City was the petitioner for Salt Lake City's project water, so they would logically be our contract. But, it did not prohibit us from making direct contact on this matter.

Endangered Species

The District is spending a significant amount of time working with endangered species issues. There are four endangered species associated with the lower Duchesne River. The lower three miles of the Duchesne has been designated as critical habitant for the razorback sucker. They are involved with multi agencies, multi-state recovery implementation program that is looking at activities to recover those fish. And most recently they have been involved with preparation for a recovery program on the Provo River for the June sucker. Those are very significant issues to us. The District has spent a lot of time working with state and federal agencies and others to make sure they are providing adequate flows that are beneficial to the those species.

Jordanelle Reservoir holds about 314,000 acre-feet of water. Today it has about 295,000 acre-feet of water in it. Strawberry Reservoir holds about 1.1 million acre-feet. It filled for the first time last year, which created some challenges, because Strawberry was never planned to spill; therefore, it does not have a spillway. They needed to get the Reservoir full to test the integrity of the dam. So that was done a little over a year ago.

The District is finishing final design for the expansion of the Utah Valley Water Treatment Plant in Orem. That will change the capacity from about 42 to 75 million-gallon per day. They are also participating closely with Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District on the Conservation Education Program in the Salt Lake Valley. The District has a web site that is "cuwcd.com" that has hourly updates on flows in certain parts of the project, and much other information about the District and CUP.

Mr. Hooton thanked Mr. Scawcroft for the timely and informative briefing on the Central Utah Project.