Document Type
Report
Publisher
Utah State University
Publication Date
12-2025
First Page
1
Last Page
52
Abstract
The Utah Division of Water Resources contracted with Utah State University to document key scientific and policy information related to the current water conflict between Iron and Beaver Counties over the development of the Pine Valley Water Supply Project (PVWSP). The proposed PVWSP would pump groundwater from Pine Valley in Beaver County and pipe it southeast to the Cedar City region of Iron County served by the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District (CICWCD). Numerous concerns about the project have been raised by Beaver County and other interested parties. A number of these concerns are related to different understandings or scientific uncertainties about the groundwater hydrology of Pine Valley.
This Groundwater Studies document summarizes the various scientific studies that explore and explain the hydrogeology of the Pine Valley area. It provides details about the datasets, scope, and methods used for each study, with a focus on groundwater recharge estimates that are critical to understanding water availability. The intent of this document is to describe and explain how and why the various studies arrived at different recharge estimates and hydrologic understanding.
To set the stage for understanding the summaries of groundwater studies related to Pine Valley, this Overview section starts by introducing some terminology and presenting a conceptualization of Pine Valley’s water balance and groundwater recharge components. It then provides a timeline and overview of the studies that are reviewed in detail in the subsequent main section of this document.
Recommended Citation
Stamp, Melissa, Bethany Neilson, Anna McEntire, Burdette Barker, Lisa Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada, and Brian Steed. Summary of Pine Valley Area Groundwater Studies. Utah State University, 2025.