Utah Division of Water Rights publishes 28 unclaimed water rights for Eastland Subdivision; 90-day objections open

Chase McDonald, assistant state engineer for adjudication at the Utah Division of Water Rights, told a public meeting that the division published a list of unclaimed water rights for the Eastland Subdivision and that affected parties have procedures and deadlines if they believe a right listed is theirs.

The list, published two weeks before the meeting, includes 28 water-right entries drawn from the division's records. McDonald said the division's records show 134 water rights for the area and that 359 landowners were notified during the initial summons and notice period. "We published the list of unclaimed rights," McDonald said, describing the next steps and how to file objections with the district court and the state engineer's office.

Why it matters: the list of unclaimed rights is part of a court-supervised adjudication under Utah law (Utah Code Title 73, Chapter 4). If the district court decrees the published list as part of the adjudication, diligence-based (prestatutory or otherwise grandfathered) claims identified only by diligence would be barred from later claiming the same rights. McDonald explained that the…