Unitization in Utah - WaterWired
Unitization in Utah? What could that be? Last week I posted on the great time I had at a water conference in Utah (28 Hours in Utah...). Prior to arriving in Salt Lake City I'd read a story in the 10 May 2010 issue of the High Country News (now requires a subscription to read) about the passage of a bill to allow the residents of southwestern Utah's Escalante Valley to manage their own groundwater. At the conference I then heard a talk (via phone) by State Sen. Dennis Stowell (R), the main sponsor of SB 20, who told the story of the bill. What motivated the Escalante Valley folks to seek such authority? To make a long story short: the state had overallocated the groundwater in the valley and wanted the residents to cut back to a pumping level more consistent with the aquifer's sustainable yield. Subsidence was even occurring, a tell-tale sign of excessive pumping.
