Irrigation company shareholders generally need not file individual water‑user claims, state says

Assistant State Engineer Chase McDonald told the public that ownership of shares in an irrigation company does not equal ownership of a state‑recorded water right. He said irrigation companies hold the underlying water rights and issue shares to shareholders; those companies typically will participate in the adjudication and file claims covering their portfolios.

"If your right is based on ownership of shares in an irrigation company, you don't need to file a water users claim," McDonald said, explaining the division will adjudicate company portfolios rather than requiring each shareholder to submit an individual claim. He listed several companies that serve the area, including Strawberry Water Users Association, Springbill Irrigation Company, Strawberry High Line Canal and Spanish Fork South Irrigation Company, and noted many of those companies’ points of diversion lie outside the Spanish Fork–Mapleton subdivision and have already been adjudicated in other subdivisions.

Possible exceptions: McDonald cautioned that individual private water rights that are used in a supplemental manner together with irrigation shares may be considered differently during evaluation. He recommended shareholders contact their irrigation company to confirm the company’s plan to file claims and to reassure individual shareholders. He also advised shareholders to check the division’s online records to see whether a company filed claims for its rights.

Practical guidance from the meeting: if all a property’s water comes from a municipality or from irrigation shares, the property owner likely does not have a separate recordable water right for the adjudication. Those who are unsure were instructed to contact the division for help and to use the division’s mapping and scanned documents online to verify whether a right is listed for a point of diversion inside the subdivision boundary.