Ground-Water Management Plan Beryl Enterprise Area

1
Ground-Water Management PlanBeryl Enterprise Area
Sign up sheet

• August 6, 2007

2
Agenda

• Water Management Issues
• Voluntary arrangements
• Management plan scenarios
• Water Rights
• Safe Yield
• Questions / Future directions
• Handout
• www.waterrights.utah.gov

3
Water Use Terms
Evaporation
ET Evapotranspiration
Transpiration
Deep Percolation / Return Flow
4
Definitions

• Consumptive Use (Irrigation) The quantity of
  water that is absorbed by the crop and transpired
  or used directly in the building of plant tissue,
  together with that evaporated from the cropped
  area.
• Consumptive use effective precip Net
  irrigation requirement
• Enterprise/Beryl Jct, Net irrigation
  requirement Alfalfa 2.49 AF Grain 1.66 AF
  Potatoes 1.40 AF Corn 1.38 AF

5
Definitions (contd)

• Depletion - That part of the withdrawal that has
  been evaporated, transpired, incorporated into
  the crops or products, consumed by man or
  livestock, or otherwise removed. The wellhead
  diversion minus return flow to the groundwater
  aquifer.
• CU Incidental losses

6
Definitions (contd)

• Irrigation Diversion Allowance - The quantity of
  water required to satisfy the irrigation water
  requirements and taking into account conveyance
  and application losses. Calculated using alfalfa
  and flood irrigation practices. In the 71 Area
  the irrigation diversion allowance is 4.0
  acre-feet per acre per year.
• Irrigation Duty (Duty)

7
Ground-Water Management Plan

• Objectives of a plan Limit withdrawals to
  safe yield Protect the physical
  integrity Protect water quality
• Principles of prior appropriation
• Basin hydrology
• Relationship surface ground water
• Well spacing
• Well interference
• Other relevant factors

8
Voluntary Arrangements

• Subsection 4(c), 73-5-15, GW Mgt Plan
• Water users may agree participate Voluntary
  arrangements Consultation with state
  engineer Any time
• Consistent with other law
• If less than all water users Does not affect
  the rights of others

9
Possible Scenarios

• Present 5 possible scenarios
• Only for discussion purposes
• Stimulate thought and debate
• A target to consider

10
Scenario 1 (stepped )

• Leave as is for a set period of time
• End of initial period ( years)
• Reduce diversions by set amount ()
• Monitor for set period (x yrs.)
• Continue until safe yield reached

Ac-Ft
Time
11
Scenario 2 (new water)

• Importation of water
• Lake Powell Pipeline
• Other options
• Economics ?

12
Scenario 3 (steady gradual)

• Immediately begin reducing diversions
• reduction each year
• Monitor water levels and diversions

Ac-Ft
Time
13
Scenario 4 (crop)

• Reduce diversions by changing crops
• Adjust cropping pattern alfalfa ? grain,
  potatoes corn
• Implement over time
• Depletion target ( Safe yield )

14
Scenario 5 Proposalset forth by Escalante
Water Users

• 1 year to develop resolution
• Reduce the duty from 4.0 to 3.2 AF/A
• 3.2 AF/A average over 5 years
• Metering using power records
• Cut water use 10, 40-years (2,500 acs)
• Compensation program (10 million) 50 local
  50 state

15
Water Right Records

• Review and update electronic records
• Sole supply
• Place of use groups
• Certificate outstanding proofs

16
Water Right Priority
17
Water Right Depletions
18
Safe Yield

• The perennial safe yield is equal to the
  amount of groundwater that can be withdrawn from
  the basin over a period of time without exceeding
  the long-term recharge of the basin or
  unreasonably affecting the basins physical and
  chemical integrity.

19
Hydrologic Studies

• Hydrology Of The Beryl-Enterprise Area, Escalante
  Desert, - Mower (1982)
• Ground-water conditions in Utah - Burden (2005)
• USGS National Information System Water Level Web
  Interface
• Consumptive Use of Irrigated Crops in Utah Hill
  (1994)
• Acreage Surveys Utah Division of Water Rights

20
Recharge
Recharge
Acre Feet
Subsurface Inflow from Mountains/Streams
31,000
Precipitation on Valley Floor
500
320
Subsurface Inflow
Return Flow from Surface Irrigation
1,400
34,000
Natural Recharge
21
Recharge
Qrecharge ?storage Qconsumptive

• Where
• Qrecharge is the recharge to the aquifer
• Qconsumptive is the estimated crop depletions
  from well withdrawals.
• ?storage is the calculated change in water
  stored in the aquifer
• 5 year period from 2001 to 2005

22
Recharge
Qrecharge Qconsumptive - ?storage

• Where
• Qrecharge is the recharge to the aquifer
• Qconsumptive is the estimated crop depletions
  from well withdrawals.
• ?storage is the calculated change in water
  stored in the aquifer
• 5 year period from 2001 to 2005

23
Method 1 - Qconsumptive
Well Withdrawal Estimates - USGS -
87,640 acft
Consumptive Factor - HILL -
78
Qconsumptive
- 68,359 acft
24
Method 2 - Qconsumptive
Underground Supplied Irrigation - 25,040
acres
Consumptive Use -
2.49 acft/acre
Qconsumptive
- 62,348 acft
25
?storage
USGS Observations 2001
26
?storage
Water Level Surface 2001
27
?storage
Water Level Surface 2006
28
?storage
Water Level Surface 2006
29
?storage
Drawdown From 2001 - 2006
30
Specific Yield - Porosity
Specific yield is the ratio of the volume of
water drained to the total rock volume
Groundwater Model
31
?storage
Specific Yield
? Volume
X

• ? Storage

? Storage 31,425 acft
32
Recharge
Qrecharge Qconsumptive - ?storage
33,575 65,000 - 31,425

Safe Yield 34,000 acre feet / year
33
Safe Yield
Best Estimate 34,000 acre feet / year
How will we know we have reached safe yield?
Water Levels
34
Questions ?
35
Summary

• Nothing is set in stone
• Given you several proposals to consider
• Allow you time to consider
• Review the water right records
• Comments September 30
• Next meeting late fall
• Thank you