Northern Advisory Council

The Northern Advisory Council (NAC) is composed of 9 members representing various perspectives from northern Utah. We reflect a diverse set of backgrounds and viewpoints. Some NAC members have worked in state or local government. Others have backgrounds as policy advocates for trade groups or non-governmental entities. Others are attorneys or recreationists. One thing NAC members all have in common is that we take water policy and Utah’s water future seriously.

Co-Chair: Chris Robinson - Chris is a Summit County Council member and CEO and co-owner of the Ensign Group. Chris has extensive experience in real estate, investment, finance, minerals, management, conservation, production agriculture, water rights, water development, water conservation, public land issues, and development. Chris currently serves as the president of two mutual non-profit water companies, as a member of the Central Wasatch Commission, and as a member of the board of trustees for the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District.

Jordan Nielson – Jordan is the Director of Water and Habitat Program for Trout Unlimited and previously served as TU’s Utah Colorado River Project Manager. He has also served at the Utah Division of Wildlife and has decades-long experience in consensus building, policy development, and project management. Jordan received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from BYU-Idaho and a Masters in Fishery Resources from the University of Idaho.

Phil Triolo - Phil is the Founder and Principal Consultant for Phil Triolo and Associates, where he helps medical device companies gain regulatory authorization to market their devices in the US and EU. Phil is also a part-time musician who plays in several SL bands and is a long-time river runner. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Utah, and his BS in Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Jon Schutz – Jon is an attorney for Mabey Wright & James where he serves multiple water clients. He has published and presented on water rights and policy and has extensive experience before the Utah State Engineer. Jon is admitted to the Bar in both Utah and California and received his JD from the University of California, Davis, and his BA from BYU.

Megan Nelson - Megan is the Government Relations Director for The Nature Conservancy. She is an attorney, environmental planner, and a public lands and policy consultant. She has developed federal lands management plans, managed NEPA for Federal agencies, and worked for the Department of Interior as an environmental specialist. Megan is currently the Vice President of Outreach and Education for the Friends of Utah State Parks Board and a member of the Central Wasatch Commission Stakeholder Advisory Council. She earned her BA from Westminster and her JD from the University of Colorado.

Kent Jones – Kent is a registered, professional engineer in the State of Utah with over 45 years of experience in civil engineering specializing in water rights evaluation and administration. Kent worked for the Utah State Division of Water Rights for nearly four decades and served as the State Engineer for Utah for over a decade. Since retirement from the state, Kent has been involved in preparing expert witness reports, resolving conflicts with water users, evaluating water rights, completing water rights processes, and counseling others on water rights requirements and procedures.

Marcelle Shoop – Marcelle is the Director of the Saline Lakes Program for the National Audubon Society. Her role with Audubon builds on previous legal and managerial roles that included a focus on socially and environmentally responsible business practices., Marcelle currently sits on the State of Utah Watersheds Council, and the Project WET Board. Marcelle earned her BS in Business Management and her JD at the University of Wyoming.

Zachary Frankel – Zach is the founder and Executive Director of the Utah Rivers Council. In this capacity, Zach has led several campaigns to protect Utah’s rivers and is an expert on water policy in Utah. Zach lives with his family and their horses in the Salt Lake Valley and enjoys writing, making short films, and all manner of outdoor sports. Zach received his B.S. in Biology at the University of Utah.

Wade Garrett - Wade is the Director of Public Policy for the Utah Farm Bureau. Garrett is the former State Director for Congressman Jason Chaffetz. Wade grew up in Juab County on his family’s cattle ranch, where he’s been an official partner of the farm since 1992. The family raises 400 mother cows and maintains a small feedlot in addition to farming 1,200 acres of grains and forage crops. Garrett has degrees from Snow College and Utah State University.

NAC 2025 OBJECTIVES

Continue to learn, share ideas, and discuss the key issues affecting the Colorado River in Utah and the West
Create a strategic plan to share with members of the public within the NAC region, including an overview of the Colorado River and its current challenges and issues
Hold fact-finding meetings at targeted locations to gain better on-the-ground perspectives on water supply and use issues
Include more analysis of the economic impacts of water use and allocation to address how economic incentives could be used to result in more efficient use of water, especially under changing hydrologic conditions
Continue to provide timely, concrete, actionable recommendations to the Authority Board on how best to allocate scarce Colorado River resources
Expand the NAC to include a member who can represent Native American tribal interests and a financial analyst specializing in financial issues related to water and its allocation
Create a more formal policy for determining NAC meeting frequency, duration of terms, and responsibilities of council members
Collaborate more with the other advisory councils
Allocate time at all NAC meetings to discuss recent developments and/or the effects of changes in hydrology and the challenges the state faces in meeting current and future municipal, industrial, and agricultural needs
Assign a NAC council member to attend each Authority Board meeting

2025 RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD

1. Balance Utah’s Interests - The Board should continue to keep the stability and ecological health of the Colorado River basin system in mind, while balancing the protection of the interests of Utah and the sovereign tribes, as they engage in interstate and federal negotiations.

2. Conservation - Conservation continues to be the best and most achievable option for the state to address hydrological changes. We encourage the Board to identify, support, and promote incentives and programs that will result in M&I agricultural water conservation and optimization to reduce water consumption. These incentives could also include identifying, targeting, and promoting the best croplands – those that can produce crops in water-efficient ways. The state of Utah and all Basin states should continue to commit resources and funding to promote meaningful and measurable agricultural and M&I conservation and optimization projects.

3. Curtailment and Scenario Planning - We suggest the Board publicly utilize scenario planning of potential implications of curtailment of Colorado River water. The purposes of this scenario planning would be to inform the general public and policymakers and to produce forecasts that consider the anticipated worst-case hydrology and potential curtailment. Everyone would greatly benefit if the Authority modeled and publicized possible curtailment scenarios so that the public could plan accordingly. This could include publicizing the specific calculations used to quantify the state’s entitlement, including the supporting information and data and the assumptions used to reach this calculation.

4. Utilize the “Best Science” and most recent data to inform policy decisions - We encourage the Board to continue incorporating the best available science and measurement data available for management and policy recommendations and future annual management plan development.

5. Operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead - Several members of the NAC believe Lake Powell and Lake Mead need to operate independently so Lake Mead can serve Lower Basin uses and Lake Powell can provide Upper Basin storage to meet compact requirements. Utah should advocate for doing away with the balancing tiers. Many of us believe that the Lower Basin should take cuts commensurate with hydrology in a similar manner as the Upper Basin.

6. Demand Management - Utah should work to either make Demand Management happen or another scenario similar to Lower Basin ICS for Upper Basin in CRSP reservoirs. Users should be able to bank water under a Utah account in Lake Powell. This will allow water users to shepherd water to Lake Powell and bank it for another day. Any Demand Management program needs to be transparent and durable.

7. Promote Resiliency - Protecting the health and resiliency of the Colorado River ecosystem is fundamental to ensuring the river system’s continued viability and its ability to provide for people and nature. The post-2026 guidelines should factor in the need to assess the full extent of impacts across a range of ecosystems, habitats, tribal water rights, and communities in evaluating water supply options, including steps to avoid or mitigate negative impacts. This is particularly necessary in light of changing hydrologic conditions and the need for resiliency. The new guidelines should focus on stabilizing the system in relation to climate change impacts.

8. Tribal Involvement - We support continued and enhanced tribal involvement in all key water discussions related to the Colorado River.

CONCLUSION

Thank you for the opportunity to offer our 2025 objectives and our recommendations to the Authority Board. The work you do on this Board is vital to the state of Utah and we thank you for your time and service. We hope the recommendations outlined here will help you fulfill your Authority objectives on behalf of the citizens of Utah.

It is our sincere hope that the above recommendations can provide the River Commissioner and the Board with ideas that can prove helpful in your ongoing negotiations with the federal government and with the other Basin states.