State engineer outlines adjudication process, warns owners to file claims for Benjamin subdivision

The Division of Water Rights (State Engineer) told residents at a public meeting that the Benjamin subdivision is now part of the Utah Lake–Jordan River general adjudication and that property owners and known water-right holders must file water‑user claims when the office mails notices beginning May 22.

The presentation explained why the summons and forthcoming notices were mailed, described the adjudication phases and timelines, and warned that under Utah law a water right or an unused portion may be recommended for disallowance if it has not been put to beneficial use for seven years. "Water users who are using their water ... just file your claim. We'll come out and evaluate it, and there's ... not much to worry about there," the presenter said.

The nut graf: the adjudication is a court-supervised process that brings existing water claims onto the record, resolves competing claims and produces proposed determinations and decrees. The state engineer's office will gather claims, investigate uses in the field, publish lists of unclaimed rights, accept objections, and submit recommendations to the court. Filing a claim is the only reliable way to preserve a perfected water right in the adjudication, the presenter said.

The presenter summarized the…