Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Director Report topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board elects officers; director highlights dam-safety funding and retirement announcements
Summary
The board reappointed Mike Davis as chair and named Dana Van Horn vice chair, heard one public comment thanking retiring staff, and received a director's report detailing proposed dam-safety funding in the governor's budget, work on the state water plan and Colorado River concerns.
The Board of Water Resources reappointed Mike Davis as chair and selected Dana Van Horn as vice chair for the coming year. Both motions were moved, seconded and approved by roll call.
The meeting included one public comment from Rick Smith of the Davis and Weber Counties Canal Company, who thanked long-serving staff and wished retiring employees well. The director, Candace Hosnjager, used her final board meeting to outline priorities and program updates: she highlighted a governor-recommended $2.6 million ongoing appropriation for dam-safety upgrades, progress on the state water plan and water-budget modeling, completion of 2024 water-related land-use data (estimated irrigated acres about 1.7 million), the Utah project portal launch for project submissions, and an open transparent-water-billing grant application window (through Dec. 19).
Hosnjager also summarized interagency work on the Great Salt Lake integrated plan and announced contracts for hydrology modeling. On Colorado River matters she reported Lake Powell at about 29% of live storage and said the basin states are negotiating a post-2026 operating framework with a target near Feb. 14 for an agreement to feed into a draft EIS.
Hosnjager thanked staff and board members and acknowledged several retirements (Tom Cox, Russell Hadley, and Jim Egbert). The acting chair adjourned the meeting following board remarks and best wishes.
