Water resources in northern Cache County, Utah
Location
Eccles Conference Center
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu
Start Date
4-1-2014 4:50 PM
End Date
4-1-2014 4:55 PM
Description
Our research examines seven small agricultural communities in the northern end of Cache Valley, Utah. Predominantly rural, these municipalities approach a crossroad of change, where choices now will determine what they will be in the near future. The primary areas of interest are Richmond, Lewiston, Amalga, Cornish, Newton, Clarkston, and Trenton. The populations of these towns range from 290 to 2,470. All share similar agricultural histories and all face the same challenge: where will culinary water come to meet population growth and demand? These seven towns are representatives of what many small towns in Utah will face in the near future. Each town has a unique mixture of drilled wells, springs, and artesian wells which provide stable, but limited, culinary reserves to these communities. Sources range from adequate to superfluous, but projections indicate current water management practices will eventually prove insufficient to support population increases. In contrast, agricultural and secondary sources are ample and in some cases underutilized. The answer to the question is simple; culinary and secondary water will come from where it has always come from. The only thing that can change is how water is used and how it is managed. Our area of interest is centrally located in the Bear River Basin, a 7,500 square mile watershed made up of mountain and valley lands including 2,700 square miles in Idaho, 3,300 square miles in Utah and 1,500 square miles in Wyoming. The significance of this basin cannot be overlooked. Average annual flow of Bear River is about 1.2 million acre-feet. This water resource has been called “Utah’s last untapped water source” and has been studied for years for reservoir development. As part of the Bear River Development Act allocation region, when part of a conservancy district, communities have an opportunity to capitalize on funding. These economic opportunities enable the towns and its citizens to participate fully in the development of local water resources. Our research examines population and culinary water use projections and found five out of our seven towns (Amalga, Clarkston, Cornish, Lewiston, and Newton) to be in a deficit by 2050. With increasing populations culinary water supply may be a limiting factor for future development. This makes public education, water banking, and water conservation efforts vital to develop Utah’s small towns in a sustainable manner.
Water resources in northern Cache County, Utah
Eccles Conference Center
Our research examines seven small agricultural communities in the northern end of Cache Valley, Utah. Predominantly rural, these municipalities approach a crossroad of change, where choices now will determine what they will be in the near future. The primary areas of interest are Richmond, Lewiston, Amalga, Cornish, Newton, Clarkston, and Trenton. The populations of these towns range from 290 to 2,470. All share similar agricultural histories and all face the same challenge: where will culinary water come to meet population growth and demand? These seven towns are representatives of what many small towns in Utah will face in the near future. Each town has a unique mixture of drilled wells, springs, and artesian wells which provide stable, but limited, culinary reserves to these communities. Sources range from adequate to superfluous, but projections indicate current water management practices will eventually prove insufficient to support population increases. In contrast, agricultural and secondary sources are ample and in some cases underutilized. The answer to the question is simple; culinary and secondary water will come from where it has always come from. The only thing that can change is how water is used and how it is managed. Our area of interest is centrally located in the Bear River Basin, a 7,500 square mile watershed made up of mountain and valley lands including 2,700 square miles in Idaho, 3,300 square miles in Utah and 1,500 square miles in Wyoming. The significance of this basin cannot be overlooked. Average annual flow of Bear River is about 1.2 million acre-feet. This water resource has been called “Utah’s last untapped water source” and has been studied for years for reservoir development. As part of the Bear River Development Act allocation region, when part of a conservancy district, communities have an opportunity to capitalize on funding. These economic opportunities enable the towns and its citizens to participate fully in the development of local water resources. Our research examines population and culinary water use projections and found five out of our seven towns (Amalga, Clarkston, Cornish, Lewiston, and Newton) to be in a deficit by 2050. With increasing populations culinary water supply may be a limiting factor for future development. This makes public education, water banking, and water conservation efforts vital to develop Utah’s small towns in a sustainable manner.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2014/2014Posters/27