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Castle Valley council hears UGS study warning, moves to expand aquifer monitoring and explore groundwater management plan
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Summary
The Water Advisory Council reviewed a UGS study warning that reduced recharge and increased withdrawals could degrade the valley-fill aquifer, agreed to pursue additional monitoring (including use of an abandoned well), and discussed whether to request a groundwater management plan from the Division of Water Rights.
The Castle Valley Water Advisory Council met March 9 and focused its main discussion on a new Utah Geological Survey (UGS) study and next steps for protecting the valley-fill aquifer.
Chair John Groo said the council’s immediate priority is to better understand both water quantity and water quality in the aquifer and reported that the owner of lot 194 agreed to allow use of an abandoned well for static-level monitoring and potential chemical sampling, pending modifications to the wellhead. "We can at the very least measure static level," Groo said, and he recommended updating future memoranda of understanding to reflect UGS participation.
Janae Wallace, who led the groundwater-management discussion, flagged passages removed from the final UGS report and read a written caution about water quality: "The potential degradation of water quality in the valley-fill aquifer could be caused by reduced recharge from the LaSal Mountains and/or excessive water withdrawal from the aquifer. Any future decrease in water supply, coupled with increasing TDS concentrations due to increased well water withdrawal, could diminish the amount of potable water available to the community." Wallace recommended seeking DEQ Non-Point Source funds to add isotopic and nutrient sampling in the creek to clarify groundwater–surface water interactions and to consult UDWQ staff Sam Taylor and Amy Dickey on water-quality sampling plans.
Members debated whether to ask Regional Engineer Cash Stallings to prepare a groundwater management plan draft or to initiate a petition. Wallace said triggering a plan likely requires petitions from more than one-third of water users, noting Sand Hollow had done so with two-thirds; Sue Bellagamba warned that the State Engineer has been hesitant in some cases and that petitioning could be politically sensitive. Groo suggested starting by asking the Regional Engineer to develop a draft and then evaluating petition options depending on that response.
The council agreed to press forward on monitoring this year: Stock reported that the UGS will add the abandoned well to its water-level sampling program and may provide chemical sampling at no cost in the current year. Members also discussed alternatives such as sampling from a nearby hydrant on the lot and emphasized that any future chemical sampling may require modifications to the well top.
Action items recorded during the meeting included filing a protest on a fixed-time extension application (see separate item) and placing the new well into the monitoring program; members asked staff to document next steps for MOU language, technical specifications for sampling, and outreach to appropriate state water-quality staff. The meeting adjourned at 10:28 a.m.