Water Use ReportingRural Water Association of Utah

Water Rights CertificationGary Brimley

April 10, 2014

Overview

• Water Use Reports = required (most systems)• What’s in a water use report• Where’s the data• Why report• How to report

• Examples

Water Use Reporting

• Reporting is mandatory:

– If required by Order of the State Engineer (73-5-8)• or

– For community water systems (Division of Drinking Water – Utah Administrative Rule R309-105-15)

• or– To obtain loans from Board of Water Resources

Community Water Systems

• For Division of Drinking Water Purposes, "Community Water System" (CWS) means a public water system which serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents (UAC 309-110-4)– (Differentiate this with Water Right law 73-1-4)

• CWS as defined by DDW must report status of projects, system demands, problems, projects (Division of Water Rights cooperates with DDW)

Order of the State Engineer

• The State Engineer generally requires water use reports when use is non-conforming with established diversion duties (for example, uses other than irrigation, domestic, and livestock)

• It is standard practice for the State Engineer to include Water Use Reporting as a condition of approval on public water supplier applications– Even if Reporting is not included as a condition of

approval on an OSE, it is mandatory for all CWS

Contents of the Report

• Storage Inventory (e.g. tanks)• Annual Breakdown of Water Use (e.g. residential,

industrial, wholesale transfers out)• Monthly Breakdown of Source Supply (e.g.

springs, wells, wholesale transfers in)• Secondary (Irrigation) System Information• Financial Information• Condition of System and Firefighting Capacity• Anticipated Projects

When is the water use data collected?

In January, an online survey logon ID and password are emailed, or a paper form is mailed.

The survey is asking for the monthly breakdown of water usage for the previous year. Survey is due by March 1st.A postcard reminder is mailed.A late letter is mailed (if needed).

Where is the data?

The Report Data is Used For…

• Summarizing water usage in geographic areas• Showing which individual sources are in use• Proof of beneficial use for water rights• Division of Drinking Water purposes• Division of Water Resources purposes• USGS studies, assessing water supply• Preparation of basin water plans

How the Data is Collected

• Water systems keep monthly data • The data is turned in in January via one of

two options: online or by paper (mail)– An online logon ID and password are emailed– Or a paper form is mailed

Metering

• Each source (e.g. spring, well) needs metering– This is the supply side

• Metering of most customers is typical– This is the demand end– Metering each customer is not required

• But unmetered water service must be estimated

Electronic Reporting

• This method does not result in a paper record. The reporting data is stored and permanently archived only electronically. – When you click “Send Permanent Record,” the

system emails the Water Use Reporting specialist (Dana Dredge) saying the data has been entered

Typical System Sources

– (Not a comprehensive list)• Streams• Springs• Wells• Reservoir• Drain• Transfer in (wholesale, imported, purchased)

Online Report System Interface

• Your Login ID and Key are in the email!• Watch the water units (i.e. right now the only

options are acre-feet, barrels, gallons, thousands, and millions of gallons).– Hundreds of gallons is not currently an option.

• Does that need to change?

• Comment boxes are there for a reason• Estimate carefully when necessary

Paper Form (by mail)

To be sure…

• When entering data, watch the units!– Logging data through the year, watch the units!

• (Systems report monthly data once a year – in January)

• Estimate, when it’s impossible to read a meter• Make use of the little comment boxes to explain

(open and good communication)!• Do give feedback via email to our Water Use

Reporting program specialist, Dana Dredge. Then we’ll try to improve the system.

Contact the Report Program Specialist

• If you have a problem identifying your sources or correlating them with what is provided on the report form

• If some of your system sources are missing• If you’re not sure what is meant by some of

the requested report items• If you have feedback – we really would like to

improve the form and the program