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State engineer urges landowners to file claims in Spanish Fork–Mapleton water adjudication
Summary
The Division of Water Rights explained why nearly 18,000 mailings were sent, who must file water‑users claims, the adjudication timeline and the legal risk of failing to file during a public meeting on the Spanish Fork–Mapleton (Area 51) subdivision.
Chase McDonald, assistant state engineer over adjudication at the Division of Water Rights, told residents at a public meeting in Spanish Fork that the agency will mail a formal Notice to File Claims on July 10 and urged anyone who might hold a water right to file a claim.
“The vast majority of people who received the summons in this case do not have a water right,” McDonald said, but he added, “If you have a water right, whether it’s on the record or not on the record, you need to file a claim.”
The meeting explained the general adjudication process for the Spanish Fork–Mapleton subdivision (Area 51, Book 8) within the larger Utah Lake–Jordan River adjudication. A general adjudication is a judicial process, authorized by Utah law, in which the state engineer collects claims and makes recommendations and the district court ultimately determines and decrees water rights.
Why it matters: McDonald said the Division sent roughly 700 notices to water‑rights holders of record and nearly 18,000 mailings to property owners within the subdivision to ensure the proceeding is comprehensive. If a pre‑statutory water right that is not on the office’s records is not claimed during the process, that right may be barred from future assertion after the court decrees the list of unclaimed rights.
Who should file: Property owners should file a water‑users claim only if they have a water right. McDonald emphasized that shares in irrigation companies (for example, Strawberry Water Users Association, Springville Irrigation Company and Spanish Fork South Irrigation Company) are not individual water rights; the irrigation company holds the water rights and can file on behalf of shareholders. Municipal water service from Mapleton City or Spanish Fork City likewise generally does not require a claim from individual customers.
How to file and deadlines: The Division will mail prefilled claims to water‑right owners on file and blank claim forms to property owners. Claimants have 90 days from the mailed Notice to File Claims to submit a completed form; the division will grant a one‑time written 30‑day extension if requested during that 90‑day window. McDonald said a help session is planned for July 16 at the Spanish Fork Library to assist residents in completing claims and that staff will accept completed, signed claims at the session.
Process and timeline: After the claim filing period, the division will compile a list of water rights of record that received no claims, file that list with the court and publish a 90‑day objection period. McDonald outlined an investigative third phase in which staff review files, perform field inspections and assemble the state engineer’s recommendations into a proposed determination. Tentative dates provided at the meeting included compiling the list of unclaimed rights by May 2026, issuing a proposed determination by April 2027 and completing interlocutory decrees (subject to objections and court schedule) by 2029.
Consequences of not filing: McDonald explained the effect of a court forfeiture and read statutory language: if a court declares a water right forfeited for nonuse, “the right to beneficially use the water reverts to the public” and the water can then satisfy other existing rights by priority. He emphasized the office does not buy or sell water rights.
Field reviews and evidence: Division staff will perform file reviews and field inspections to confirm points of diversion, beneficial uses and whether rights are being used consistent with their records. McDonald said the adjudication process itself does not compel owners to meter wells.
Where to find records: The Division’s water rights mapping system and scanned file documents are available at waterrights.utah.gov; McDonald gave a live website tour showing how to view parcel and point‑of‑diversion data, the adjudication subdivision boundary and scanned historical documents.
Public assistance and next steps: The Division has staff available after the meeting for individual questions and expects to mail the Notice to File Claims on July 10. McDonald asked that anyone unsure whether they have a water right contact the Division for help before the claim deadline.
