Virtual Event
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
General water right adjudications are a critical piece of the statewide program to create and maintain a complete record of water rights. The water rights adjudication process helps to bring order and certainty to the water rights record throughout the state by defining existing rights, quantifying unknown rights, and removing unused and abandoned rights from the record through judicial decree. The general water right adjudications provide crucial information that is used by decision makers to tackle Utah’s water challenges, including Great Salt Lake management and Colorado River operations. Additionally, by means of general water right adjudications the State of Utah incorporates reserved rights, including American Indian reservations.
All of the hydrologic areas within the State of Utah are currently involved in a court-ordered adjudication of water rights except the Weber River, Sevier River, and Green River drainages. Presently, the State Engineer’s office — through the district courts — is actively adjudicating in Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch, Summit, San Juan and Washington Counties. In this presentation, you will learn about the history, procedure, and operations of general water right adjudications from both a legal and administrative viewpoint, so you will know what to do when your client receives a curious notice from the Division of Water Rights.
PANELISTS:
Michael Drake, Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Water Rights, Assistant State Engineer – Adjudication
Rick Knuth
