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UTAH DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES

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INTRODUCTION:
WATERS OF THE JORDAN RIVER BASIN

The Jordan River Basin is the State of Utah’s most populous basin and comprises all but the northwest portion of Salt Lake County that lies in the Great Salt Lake. The Basin is bounded on the west by the Oquirrh Mountains, on the northeast and east by the Wasatch Range, and on the south by the Traverse Mountains (see Figure 1). The Basin receives runoff from these mountains and the entire Utah Lake Basin, which is tributary to the Jordan River. The Basin is one of Utah’s wettest, receiving an average of 23 inches of precipitation annually. Despite being the State’s most populous, as well as one of the State’s wettest basins, the Jordan River Basin has only one significant reservoir (i.e., larger than 5,000 acre-feet) to capture and store runoff – Little Dell Reservoir (20,500 acre-feet), which was built in 1993. As a result, much of the Jordan River Basin’s drinking water supply is imported from the upper basin (Utah Lake basin). But there is also water imported from the West Desert Basin, the Weber River Basin and as far away as the Uintah Basin (part of the Colorado River drainage).

The combination of relatively high precipitation, significant ground water withdrawals, and extensive importation has allowed the Jordan River Basin to support a large population and has enabled local water suppliers to satisfy the demands of growth. However, this does not imply that the basin is without problems or that continuing growth will come without challenges. Currently developed supplies are not sufficient to meet projected growth and not all streams and other water bodies in the Jordan River Basin meet Utah’s water quality standards. Additionally, environmental needs and recreational demands are on the increase. This will bring greater competition for existing water supplies and ultimately require more emphasis on wise management and efficient use of all the Basin’s water resources.

FUTURE VISION

In order to meet all the future water demands in the Jordan River Basin, cooperative efforts will be needed to more fully and efficiently use existing water supplies. State and local leaders must work closely with water
suppliers in the Basin to continue to promote aggressive water conservation measures and additional innovative water management technologies. While this effort may delay the need for costly new water developments, these measures alone will not satisfy all future needs. The proposed Bear River Development Project will ultimately be needed. Exactly when this project will be constructed depends upon actual population growth as well as the ability of water conservation and other strategies to reduce water demand and the agreements within the basin to share resources.

In addition to securing adequate water for the future, water planners and managers need to continue to expand their efforts to effectively address water quality, the environment, and other values. Water agencies and institutions must fully integrate strategies and policies into their operations that address these issues. An important aspect of this endeavor will be to carefully coordinate Federal, State and local water resources efforts. Coordination will allow solutions to be tailored to local conditions and help maintain a constructive and open dialog among all water resources stakeholders.

Keys to assuring a productive future for the water resources of the Jordan River Basin include the following:
-Strong cooperation among all water resources stakeholders;
-Concerted effort to implement water conservation measures and practices;
-Careful application of innovative water management strategies such as water reuse, conjunctive management of surface and ground water, and cooperative agreements;
-Continued investment in infrastructure and carefully planned water developments;
-Continued investment in water quality programs; and
-Conscious effort to address environmental, recreational, and other needs.

PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN

The purpose of this document is to describe the current status of the water resources in the Jordan River Basin and estimate future demands that will be placed upon them. This involves quantifying the available water supply, quantifying current and future uses, identifying ways to manage and enhance existing supplies and developing new supplies to satisfy future needs. This document is intended to help water managers, planners, and others formulate the management strategies and policies that will secure a bright future for the Basin. In addition to presenting basic water data, this document should also be a valuable resource for those who live in the Basin or who are otherwise interested in contributing to water-related decisions.

Download full version (PDF): Jordan River Basin

About Utah Division of Water Resources
www.water.utah.gov
The Division of Water Resources is one of seven agencies of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and is the water resources authority for the state of Utah. The Board is the policy-making body of the division.  Their mission is to “Plan, Conserve, Develop and Protect Utah’s Water Resources.”

Tags: Division of Water Resources, Great Salt Lake, Jordan River, Oquirrh Mountains, Salt Lake County, Utah

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 6:14 pm and is filed under Dams, Drinking Water, Environment, Infra Views, Inland Waterways, Land Use, Local, Smart Growth . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.