[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6077456,"mediaKeyId","2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb","parentId",2964625,"title","Council approves minutes, discusses unified infrastructure plan, funding and council participation","audioSeconds",50,"startMs",274000,"endMs",324000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb&start=274&end=324","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb/thumbnail_274000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6077456/Utah/Council-approves-minutes-discusses-unified-infrastructure-plan-funding-and-council-participation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077456-f1981ec92d23eb9928b5694200b2636c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770508384&Signature=FagMT-iA-92CuScfKPnmJMAwrf~DrNvKevc8tq-dKbF1Qa-d-QvXEEFFs~Zgr2kxmOcRTtw3zW8~IZD1JpZvB1DzzO3VZki-WX3g4Hg7al7UvCUznlCwcgaXPAQPFPliaNNuG-PEoVML8X2-aB-4I~hN5gKdtlpM1BYCFhShrQiTQuF-c-jZrSqfSOvNn0u7ndjAfx~~qHFHCtcKg3bz9~CY2rDTApRDgk2m4iMicA0iC7m6SIHGSPys6dGeinLK5BaTQVuHsea7WdCR~FuI0FW3n~a5YFGcFKe9Wxk~MT5FHKdzfIuIut73YIZ~9QF5Om6ZM4WivdzU3Xds-wW~yw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Utah Watersheds Council","date","2025-04-10T23:02:48Z","article","The Utah Watersheds Council State Council carried a motion to approve the minutes from the Jan. 14 meeting and then discussed administrative items including next-year reporting dates, the state Unified Water Infrastructure Plan and outreach on federal water-infrastructure funding.

At the meeting the chair asked for approval of the Jan. 14 minutes. Meeting participants moved and seconded the motion and the chair called the voice vote: \"All in favor say aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.\" The motion text (approval of the Jan. 14 minutes) and the outcome (approved) were recorded in the meeting; the transcript did not provide the names of the mover or seconder.

Nut graf: Beyond the minutes, council members focused on near-term administrative tasks required to feed state planning and funding processes — a June deadline to submit project lists for the Unified Water Infrastructure Plan and continued uncertainty about federal programs that fund water infrastructure (for example, the recent cessation of FEMA’s BRIC program was discussed). Members also raised sustaining local-council engagement, meeting frequency and travel burdens for rural representatives.

Carly (staff) outlined a schedule of local-council reporting dates for the coming year and said staff would follow up to confirm availability. The chair and multiple members emphasized that projects should be added to the state's Unified Water Infrastructure Plan to be eligible for potential state funding lines. Division staff said Bowen & Collins is conducting outreach for the unified plan and Zions is assisting with a fee study; project lists are being collected and agencies plan a June milestone for initial agency plans.

Members raised federal funding concerns: the group noted the recent notice about FEMA ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and discussed other programs such as WIFIA. Council members recommended inviting experts or congressional staff to explain shifting federal funding options at a future meeting.

Several members addressed council effectiveness and member burden. A number of local representatives reported that travel time and meeting frequency limit participation; one commenter suggested reducing the state council from quarterly to semiannual meetings and improving substitute representation so local councils are not left without representation when primary members cannot attend. Members also suggested the state council better communicate concrete outcomes that arise from local input, and to provide more follow-up on legislative or funding actions that result from council input.

Ending: Staff will circulate the finalized presentation schedule, follow up on expiring terms and continue collecting project information for the Unified Water Infrastructure Plan; council members asked staff to pursue a future briefing on federal funding opportunities and to consider administrative changes that reduce participant burden.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Utah Watersheds Council Meeting 4/10/2025 (Re-Post)","oneSentenceSummary","The State Watershed Council approved the Jan. 14 meeting minutes, reviewed a schedule of council presentations for the coming year, discussed the state’s Unified Water Infrastructure Plan deadline and outreach for federal funding, and debated ways to sustain local watershed council engagement and reduce burdens on volunteer members.","taxTitle","Utah Watersheds Council, Boards and Commissions, Organizations, Utah Executive Branch, Utah","taxId",66170,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077462,"State water-plan manager seeks input; draft outline and basin scoping scheduled",201,2656000,2857000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb&start=2656&end=2857","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb/thumbnail_2656000.jpg","/articles/6077462/Utah/State-water-plan-manager-seeks-input-draft-outline-and-basin-scoping-scheduled","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077462-12ed93342d9e0d79e504d61020b80b6c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770508384&Signature=ZgkUF2Qyh1KDa6Me2tVMv3nu6HVk9bmumD2Lz-0u6EYrCnELOvOCG~r6Dc62KJ8NoSLS51B6ZfD6oDrvzozzixzw5uin-BjwxIiJJgkQwukafg2ENXjaOOGg2B-4jYlsWWO84H9RJGEkRU8yXxjPJ0neMEHD5IaIfROBnnA1oIrQ1kfhhADXepJ6pfaIr~hY83~dSmh-5og6AaxNP8jC1c7~HQOZVH3Qki~veHxZ8vJlEPf7S5wTeDOYSYb7JFTAKttO5ohtXNCKzBOXpLlMUJgpgJmLhkF6vsNrXsKRKufloeqT5mZi8T9D8ybd82gqVIzoZGFSWgKN7wiRUXex7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Steph McGinnis, the new state water-plan manager in the Division of Water Resources, presented the draft outline and schedule for Utah’s next State Water Plan and asked watershed councils to help provide basin perspectives and identify local successes and needs.

McGinnis said the plan is required by state code to be updated at least every ten years and that the division aims to complete the next iteration by December 2026. \"I started in January and I wish I had 5 years, but we are set to have this next iteration complete by December of 2026,\" McGinnis said.

Nut graf: The division’s draft organizes the plan into chapters on constraints (climate, population, water law), needs and management strategies, basin-specific perspectives and implementation actions; staff will hold basin scoping meetings this summer, run a survey for watershed councils and ask for local volunteers to help synthesize basin survey results.

McGinnis said the draft has nine chapters and that chapters on basin perspectives are intended to surface local problems, solutions and successes. She asked watershed councils to help by identifying basin-level issues and by suggesting hosts and local participants for summer public scoping meetings. She also announced a planned public comment period in summer 2026 and encouraged councils to submit feedback and to appoint small teams to help review survey results for their basins.

Division staff and attendees discussed areas of emphasis, including tracking implementation of previous-plan recommendations, making the plan more interactive or web-based, and ensuring agency coordination on items such as water supplies, infrastructure, and environmental needs. Candice Hausneiger (Division of Water Resources) and Teresa Wilhelmsen (State Engineer, Division of Water Rights) confirmed active agency involvement. McGinnis said the division will send a survey to council members after local meetings conclude and encouraged councils to act as local outreach partners for scoping meetings.

Ending: McGinnis asked councils to help identify basin volunteers for review and to assist with public scoping meeting logistics this summer; the division will circulate the survey and follow up with councils as the draft plan develops.","Stephanie McGinnis, the new state water-plan manager, presented a draft outline of the 2026 State Water Plan, described the outreach and timeline, and asked watershed councils for basin-specific input and volunteers for survey review and scoping meetings.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077465,"Division of Drinking Water outlines source-protection zones, plans and interactive map",397,2491000,2888000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb&start=2491&end=2888","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb/thumbnail_2491000.jpg","/articles/6077465/Utah/Division-of-Drinking-Water-outlines-source-protection-zones-plans-and-interactive-map","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077465-2f4e458ba409b848cefbb567c0aba8ed/orig.mp4?Expires=1770508384&Signature=lN7euMMeXcp0m9oxbfcdQbMIajf6Q278q7lZgOLcZ-Rn7j2gVKZOYnoZNViqtgZjXACI4E3~rTMB-fq~gZJGMKfhJJBV6p22cIQV3C0r8aP2D8qwNYqwiyYB16b4kLUth6~aD5V3OzzUep3BPPL~9hZBxjzuVPYe1PDKRuEQ-AcHYT-11cJY8Xicj-QmkxpO89siVSdjbZcFJIcftJdQJY1sWy1JjOEdtarHA26foYIUqcQHl~M3t6aDJx6iRQzKj9JdTjY3bxaH4dliQ-Md8Pz7LzjgIfQ~D2YBHF7r8vUM2a6T~GU9U8qqhhsLSrnEatuxuWcAvQ2T2~n5kupWfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Melissa Noble, source-water coordinator for the Utah Division of Drinking Water, briefed the state council on the state’s drinking water source protection program, how protection zones are delineated for groundwater and surface water, and what public water systems must include in a source-protection plan.

Noble introduced herself and her role before explaining the program’s legal foundation, noting that the Safe Drinking Water Act led to wellhead-protection requirements and source-water assessments for all drinking-water sources. \"My name is Melissa Noble. I work with the division of drinking water,\" she said.

Nut graf: The division requires public drinking-water systems to map protection zones, inventory potential contamination sources, document existing controls, and adopt management strategies for uncontrolled risks; the division also maintains an interactive DEQ map that displays protection zones and contact information for systems.

Noble described how the state delineates groundwater zones by hydrogeologic analysis and time-of-travel: Zone 1 is a fixed radius (100 feet) around the well or spring; Zone 2 is a 250‑day time‑of‑travel area; Zone 3 is a 3‑year time of travel; and Zone 4 is a 15‑year time of travel. For surface water, delineation is based on the high‑water mark with a half‑mile buffer for Zone 1, a 15‑mile reach plus 100‑foot buffers for Zone 1 ends, Zone 2 extending up to a 50‑mile reach with 1,000‑foot buffers in some cases, Zone 3 as a 500‑foot buffer to watershed limits, and Zone 4 as the remainder of the watershed.

\"Zone 1 is a fixed radius, which is a hundred feet right around the well or spring. Zone 2 is a 250 day time of travel,\" Noble said, underlining that delineations depend on aquifer characteristics and pumping data and that professional geologists or engineers must complete or certify many delineations.

She said each public drinking-water system must prepare a source-protection plan that includes an inventory of potential contamination sources (agriculture, septic systems, roads, industry, household hazardous waste, pesticides and fertilizers), an assessment of current controls (regulatory, best management practices, physical controls, or negligible quantities), and management strategies for uncontrolled sources. Plans must be updated every six years and should document implementation steps (ordinances enacted, agreements obtained, education campaigns, monitoring set up).

Noble introduced the DEQ interactive map (an integrated map containing layers from multiple DEQ divisions). The map can show groundwater and surface-water protection zones, system contact information and planned or existing project layers; users can draw polygons, search by county or watershed and click protection zones to find system contacts. She said the map is useful both for council meetings and for local land-use authorities deciding how to reference protection areas in ordinances.

Council members asked about wildfire as a contamination source for surface-water supplies and about how enforcement works when an ordinance is violated. Noble said wildfire effects are a recognized potential contaminant and suggested it as a follow-up topic for vulnerability assessments; she said counties and municipalities typically incorporate source-protection maps into local ordinances and that land-use agreements and ordinances are among the most protective tools available. She noted that 17 of 29 counties and roughly 150 municipalities already have some level of source-protection ordinance; the 2010 legislative requirement covered first- and second‑class counties specifically.

Ending: Noble offered ongoing assistance to watershed councils, including technical help, DEQ map access and contacts for water systems; she said the division will continue to attend council meetings on request.","Division of Drinking Water coordinator Melissa Noble explained how the state delineates groundwater and surface-water source-protection zones, what public water systems must inventory and manage, the six-year plan-update schedule, and how the DEQ interactive map can be used by watershed councils and local governments.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6077470,"New West Colorado River Watershed Council outlines mapping tool, project inventory and representation gaps",1064,749000,1813000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb&start=749&end=1813","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2964625-a89cab3ee885c5acf212474615e09cdb/thumbnail_749000.jpg","/articles/6077470/Utah/New-West-Colorado-River-Watershed-Council-outlines-mapping-tool-project-inventory-and-representation-gaps","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6077470-b6c23837f8c2240a996f87a212de45fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770508384&Signature=WzjRtdNa5tNnrj3kK6kdlYfC4Su2nwzspy41jGp9aZ6hcWPBHe-RlW6b~tBP9Th7xI~CWbjSyaNDzz3O050Q59Qz8c6u-tFgviXPh5XptiXDNLyjA9CUTEnJ7qAvRHzdG04SQsjAMzPXeuqIOBEw5~lJ4PebTcMm7yXwM38-S1Gyf8u8PGd9mSNxzwB4TO~qWZ8Kj0M8jKvM5m73HU074GO4W4w0t9qaTSP4ENa-dOzki7K94ohqCYEM6SPy~NNmkc6Yi2MtLNKOFY~Ug~dIAkaV~FnMKKTUofDYDwZQhCojGlXTtWmScoAEq3gIllElcEaJIm-6KcU6x5iEP~l6jw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cody Allred, the state representative for the West Colorado River Watershed Council, told the Utah Watersheds Council State Council that the new council has been certified, has elected officers and is building a project inventory and an interactive base map to help manage a geographically large and diverse basin.

Allred said the council’s first meeting was in June and that the group has convened several times since certification in July. \"Our very first meeting was last June, where we had the opportunity to, you know, establish our council and, get our organizing documents in order,\" Allred said. He said the council currently has about 20 members and one vacancy and has elected co-chairs to improve north–south representation.

The nut graf: The council emphasized early-stage work — mapping, an inventory of existing and potential projects, and outreach to southern communities — as priorities because the watershed spans roughly 15,000 square miles and contains diverse land and water uses that complicate planning and project prioritization.

In his presentation, Allred described the watershed’s scale and variety: it covers about 15,000 square miles (about 18% of Utah), spans 12 counties, ranges in elevation from roughly 11,000 feet to about 3,700 feet, and contains high mountain snowpack zones and arid lowlands. He said more than 84% of the watershed is federal land, of which roughly 70% is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Agriculture is the predominant water use, with municipal and industrial users concentrated in the north; recreation and protected lands are extensive throughout.

Allred demonstrated an early-stage interactive base map the council is assembling with Division of Water Resources staff. The map, he said, will host layers showing main water features, council member locations, existing and planned projects, land ownership, irrigated acres, and an ongoing industrial-water-use survey. \"This map will have all kinds of different layers,\" Allred said. \"We can zoom in on any area at any given time, and I think it'll be a really neat tool for us.\" Division staff assisted in building the map during the council’s initial meetings.

The council is compiling an inventory that Allred described as including ag projects, river-restoration work, infrastructure, pressurized irrigation systems and future projects in planning stages. He said the inventory goal is to identify needs and to surface projects that may be priorities for funding or technical assistance.

Council members and attendees raised southern-representation and major-project issues. Mike (identified in the meeting as representing interests tied to the Lake Powell Pipeline and county water concerns) said the Lake Powell Pipeline and other large projects give Washington and Kane counties major stakes in the basin and urged coordination. \"We have about a hundred thousand acre feet of water rights in Lake Powell,\" Mike said, noting that those water rights and associated projects affect downstream counties and the council’s southern edge.

Allred and others acknowledged a representation gap in the southern part of the watershed and said recruitment of local representatives and liaison partners is a priority. The council also discussed field tours, outreach to state agencies during the state water plan update and using the map to reduce travel and focus limited meeting time.

Ending: Allred said the council is still defining its role and value and will focus over the coming year on creating useful outputs — the project inventory, the interactive map and improved representation — that link local needs to state planning and funding processes.","The newly formed West Colorado River Watershed Council described its organization, a developing interactive base map and an initial inventory of water projects, and raised concerns about geographic scale and underrepresentation in the southern portion of the watershed.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves minutes, discusses unified infrastructure plan, funding and council participation

State water-plan manager seeks input; draft outline and basin scoping scheduled

Division of Drinking Water outlines source-protection zones, plans and interactive map

New West Colorado River Watershed Council outlines mapping tool, project inventory and representation gaps