Groundwater Protection Analysis for Moab City and Spanish Valley
January 02, 2023The following analyses for groundwater protection in Moab & Spanish Valley includes contributions from the following organizations:
- Utah Division of Water Rights
- US Geological Survey
- Utah Geological Survey
- Bureau of Land Management
- US Forest Service
- Western Water Assessment (NOAA)
- University of Utah
- Utah State University
- Southeast Utah Health Department
- Moab City
- Grand County and its Special Service Districts
- San Juan Spanish Valley Special Service District
- Moab Area Watershed Partnership
- Canyonlands Watershed Council
- Living Rivers & Colorado Riverkeeper
PRESENTATIONS: MAWP MEETING OF MARCH, 2021
Summaries of Moab-Spanish Valley Groundwater Studies
- Climate Change Impacts on Groundwater in Moab-Spanish Valley. WWA.
- Hydrology Monitoring of Moab Area. USGS.
- Matheson Wetlands Preliminary Workplan. UGS.
- Moab-Spanish Valley Groundwater Study Summary. Gardner et al.
- Safe Yield Discussion. UDWRi.
CITY AND COUNTY MEETINGS (Virtual)
- May 4, 2021 - Grand County Council with Utah Division of Water Riights. Mark Stilson.
MOAB NEWS: Water Scarcity Issues Confronting Moab-Spanish Valley
- Click here to read this story by Kate Groetzinger from KUER Public Radio called "Moab May Be Running Out Of Water. That’s Prompting Residents To Rethink Conservation And Development. "
- Click here to read this story by Graham Dudley from KSL TV called "How Much Water Is Really Under Moab? Scientists say, Less Than Thought."
- Click here to read "Moab's Aquifer May Be Maxed Out Prompting City To Explore Water Conservation" by Kate Groetzinger for KUER.
- Click here to ready this story by Doug McMurdo of Times-Independent: "Water restrictions coming to Moab."
- Click here to read this story by Rachel Fixsen of Moab Sun News: "Thirsty Valley: City Officials Take Hard Look At Water Resources
- Click here to read this story by Doug McMurdo of Moab Times-Independent: "Got Water? More Questions Than Answers On Aquifer Capacity"
- Click here to read this story by Moab Sun News called "USGS Study Shows Less Water Than Previously Reported"
- Click here to read this story by Dennis Webb in the Grand Junction Sentinel about how the Western Slope of Colorado and Grand County, Utah are warming at a faster pace than the rest of the USA
- Click here to read this story by Carter Pape of Times Independent called "Moab Watershed 30 to 40 Percent Smaller Than Previously Reported"
- Click here to read this story by Carter Pape of Times Independent called "How Water Ends Up In Moab"
- Click here to read this story by Carter Pape of Times Independent called "USGS Confirms Valley Water Budget"
UTAH CODE FOR GROUNDWATER PROTECTION
LEGAL REVIEWS
COMPILATION OF RECENT HYDROGEOLOGY ASSESSMENTS
- USGS Study of 2019: summary, report and maps combined.
- Academic Journal Review: 2020 - Rethinking Groundwater Flow System Using Multiple Tracer Geochemical Approach: Case Study Moab-Spanish Valley. Gardner.
- University of Utah and USGS - Suggestions for Groundwater Monitoring for Moab-Spanish Valley. Gardner and Solomon.
- Graphic: The flow of groundwater. USGS.
MOAB CITY HYDROLOGIC ASSESSMENTS
Hydrologic And Hydrogeologic Assessment (HESA)* of the surface water and groundwater resources affecting the Moab City Springs and Wells & surface water of Mill Creek and Pack Creek in Moab-Spanish Valley in Grand County and San Juan County. By Hydrologic Systems Analysis, & Heath Hydrology, contractors for Moab City.
* HESA - Hydrological and Environmental Systems Analysis involves the management, processing and interpretation of huge amounts of geoscientific as well as ecological and historical data of many different types and sources, which can only be handled coherently and efficiently by using interactive Geoscientific Information Systems (GIS).
- Phase One: 2018 - HESA-based hydrologic and environmental system analysis and conceptual models
- Phase Two: 2019 - Preliminary HESA-based water budget and aquifer storage evaluation
- Phase Three: 2020 - Proposed Updated Drinking Water Source Protection Zone Delineations & Proposed Monitoring Plan
- Phase Four: 2020 - Preliminary HESA-based water budget aquifer storage evaluation Spanish Valley and Mill Creek/ Pack Creek hydrologic systems
MOAB CITY COUNCIL
- Special City Council Meeting of December 16, 2020; Water Resources Status Presentation by staff - YouTube Video & presentation by council member Mike Duncan called Moving to a water-restricted future (pdf).
- Memo to City Council - Response to Comments on Phase 3 and 4 Reports. Kolm.
UTAH DIVISION OF WATER RIGHTS (UDWRi)
- 2019 - Presentation: Groundwater Monitoring North Moab-Spanish Valley
- 2020, January - Presentation: Groundwater Monitoring Central Moab-Spanish Valley
- 2020, July - Presentation: Groundwater Monitoting South Moab-Spanish Valley
- 2020, November - Current Water Rights Policy for Moab- Spanish Valley
- 2014, April - Moab-Spanish Valley Presentation for Groundwaer Monitoring Program
- Note: Court Decree for Water Right Adjudications are pending
MOAB WETLANDS AND COLORADO RIVER FLOODPLAIN
- 2003 - Investigation of the Hydrologic Connection between the Moab Mill Tailings and the Matheson Wetland Preserve. Gardner and Solomon; Nature Conservancy.
- 2006 - The Moab Mill Project: A technical report towards reclaiming uranium mill tailings along the Colorado River in Grand County, Utah. Dohrenwend and Greenbaum; Living Rivers.
WATER SUPPLY & DEMAND ASSESSMENTS
- 2016 - Average Water Consumption for Moab City. CWC.
- 2016 - Water Production & Utilization. CWC.
- 2016 - Total Water Production for Gravity (springs) & Pumped. CWC.
- 2019 - Evaluation And Recommendation of Water Availability. Moab City.
- 2019 - Moab Water Facts. WCDMAB.
- 2019 - Memo to City Council: Water Availibility. WCDMAB.
POPULATION STATISTICS
WATER CONSERVATION PLANS
- 2011 - Water Conservation Plan. Moab City.
- 2014 - Water Conservation Plan. GWSSA.
- 2016 - Water Conservation Plan. Moab City.
WATER USAGE PLANS & PROJECTIONS
- 2008 - 40-Year Plan: Grand Water and Sewer Service Agency (GWSSA)
- 2016 - Culinary Water System Master Plan. GWSSA.
- 2017 - 40-Year Plan: San Juan Spanish Valley Special Service District (SJSVSSD)
- 2018 - 40-year Plan. GWSSA.
- 2018 - Water Distribution and Storage Master Plan. Moab City.
- 2018 - Water Distribution Plan. Moab Irrigation Company.
CLIMATE ASSESSMENT & CLIMATE ADAPTATION
- 2010 - Forest and Water Climate Adaptation:
A Case Study of Moab and Castle Valley, Utah. CWC. - 2019 - Spanish Valley/Moab Drought and Climate Workshop Report: Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenarios (VCAPS). Western Climate Assessment at CU Boulder (NOAA) & Environmental Dispute Resolution Program at UofU Salt Lake City (Wallace Stegner Center).
GROUNDWATER MONITORING DATA
US Geological Survey
- Future Groundwater Monitoring Suggestions for Spanish Valley. USGS & U of U.
- Groundwater Watch for Moab-Spanish Valley
- National Ground-Water Monitoring Network
City of Moab
San Juan Spanish Valley Special Service District
- 2020 - Annual Monitoring Report for Spanish Valley. SJSVSSD.
- 2019 - Groundwater Monitoring Report for Spanish Valley. Utah. SJSVSSD.
- 2018 - Groundwater Monitoring Report for Spanish Valley. SJSVSSD.
SURFACE WATER MONITORING DATA FOR GRAND COUNTY
US Geological Survey
- Mill Creek above Sheley Tunnel #09183500
- Mill Creek below Sheley Tunnel #09183600
- Note: Sheley Tunnel is a diversion into Ken's Lake
- Mill Creek below mouth of Pack Creek (Moab) #09185100
- Upper Pack Creek (gage installation is recommended)
- Dolores River mouth (before confluence with Colorado River) #0918000
- Colorado River below mouth of Dolores River ("Cisco") #091805000
- Colorado River below Potash Boat Ramp (last gage on the Colorado River above the confluence with the Green River) #09185600
- Green River at Green River City #09315000
- Green River below Mineral Bottom Boat Ramp (last gage on the Green River) #09328920
WEATHER STATIONS AND DATA FOR GRAND COUNTY
MAPS
- 1997 - Map of recharge areas for the Glen Canyon and valley-fill aquifers, Spanish Valley area, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah. US Geological Survey. Steiger et al.
- 2002 - Geologic Map of Moab-Spanish Valley. Doelling.
- 2007 - Aquifer recharge map (USG) & alternative version (USGS).
- Septic tank recommendation map
- Map: Locations of Moab aquifers and oil & gas parcels
- Publications and maps from US Geological Survey
- Publications and maps from US Geological Survey
Talk about this article...