Uintah County transfers 44 acre-feet of water to Buckskin Hills under Jensen Water agreement

Uintah County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a transfer of 44 acre-feet of water to the Buckskin Hills complex as part of an updated agreement with Jensen Water Improvement District.

The approval implements a long-standing arrangement dating to 2009 and a subsequent 2014 purchase in which the county acquired water shares the parties intended to use to offset impact fees and supply Buckskin Hills. County Attorney Lauren Anderson told the commission the attorney's office reviewed the updated agreement and found it consistent with the original contracts’ intent.

“The agreement complies with the original intent of the contracts back from 2009 and 2014,” Anderson said.

Representatives from Jensen Water described the physical infrastructure and how service is metered. Russell Tomlinson of Jensen Water said Jensen installed a single 6-inch meter at the county road that now serves the complex and that Buckskin Hills’ consumption is metered off that connection. Gail McKechnie, representing Jensen Water District, said the county had purchased Red Fleet water in 2014 and the transfer completes an earlier, unfinished part of the deal.

Tomlinson said Jensen did not install internal distribution inside Buckskin Hills and that prior private work and county-installed elements were limited; the district’s main infrastructure contribution was the 6-inch meter placed near the road.

Commissioners and staff discussed how the allotment would be tracked and used. Tomlinson and Jensen representatives said the water use for Buckskin Hills will be monitored by the local conservancy district and billed according to usage; the 44 shares are intended to come out of the county’s existing allotment.

Commissioner discussion showed some commissioners had sought additional notes that morning and briefly recessed to review new material before voting. Commissioner Larson said he had reviewed follow-up information and was satisfied with legal counsel’s work to resolve outstanding concerns.

After debate, a motion to approve the exchange and transfer of 44 acre-feet passed.

The commission recorded no changes to county responsibility for paying for the water the county itself consumes; commissioners and Jensen representatives stressed the county will continue to pay for any water it uses.

The commission did not place additional conditions on the transfer in the motion. Staff indicated remaining operational details, such as tracking and treatment costs, would be handled between Jensen Water, the conservancy district and county staff.

The action completes a step long discussed by the parties to implement an allocation first intended in the 2009-2014 agreements.