Utah Demand Management Pilot Program

• The Authority is standing up a small, intrastate Utah Demand Management Pilot Program to begin in irrigation season 2025.
• We’ll be conducting at least one fallowing project, one lease change or storage forbearance project, and one irrigation system conversion project.
• Our goal with each project is to reduce depletion of water and work with Division of Water Rights to distribute and account for the reduced depletion. This will help us test demand management, which includes shepherding/distribution of conserved water, and provisional accounting of conserved water in Lake Powell that could be used to maintain 1922 Colorado River Compact Compliance.

• Any agricultural water user with a history of beneficial, consumptive water use, and the authority to undertake the conservation activity and file a water right change application may participate.
• Water users who own water shares, not water rights, must have permission from, and closely coordinate with, their water company to file a water right change application and establish project protocols and reporting. Requirements will vary by company.

1. A fallowing project:
   • in the Upper Colorado River System
   • at least 40 acres total, with a minimum of 10 contiguous acres for each field
   • fields that have a 7-year history of consistent beneficial consumptive use or participation in other conservation programs
   • partial or full season fallowing that would reduce depletion
   • a soil health management plan
2. An irrigation system conversion project:
   • in the Upper Colorado River System
   • at least 40 contiguous acres
   • a field that has a 7-year history of beneficial consumptive use or participation in other conservation programs
   • a conversion that would be likely to reduce depletion
     • From Wheel Line to Pivot [Low Energy Precision Application (LEPA)]
     • From Wheel Line to Pivot [Low Elevation Spray Application (LESA)]
     • From Hand Line to Pivot [Low Energy Precision Application (LEPA)]
     • From Hand Line to Pivot [Low Elevation Spray Application (LESA)]
     • From Surface to Pivot (LEPA)
     • From Surface to Pivot (LESA)
     • From Surface to [Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)]
     • From Pivot [Mid Elevation Spray Application (MESA)] to Pivot (LEPA)
     • From Pivot (MESA) to Pivot (LESA)
     • From Pivot (MESA) to Pivot [mobile drip irrigation (MDI)]
     • From Pivot (MESA) to SDI
     • Other (please describe)

• • Installation by Spring 2026, one full irrigation season with the new system (2026)
  • Funding, design, and labor for the new irrigation system (maybe from UDAF or another program)

3. A storage forbearance/lease change project:

• • in the Upper Colorado River System
  • at least 40 acre-feet of enrolled water assuming 100% allocation
  • water that has a 7-year history of beneficial consumptive use, past leasing, or participation in other conservation programs
  • forbearance of:
    • storage water during the irrigation season, and releasing that water to Lake Powell after the irrigation season or storing the forgone water over multiple years
    • high-flow water that can be tracked through the watershed during the irrigation system and delivered to Lake Powell

• Meters on participating fields
• Record keeping of water delivery (if part of a canal company) or willingness to forgo diversion
• A distribution plan if reduced depletion and diversion will be carried through/delivered from a canal
• Access to the field, measurement devices, and records for verification
• Verification by the Authority using remote sensing

• Compensation:
  • for reduced depletion (in $/AF) that makes the participant whole, and is competitive with comparable programs
• Project design support:
  • calculation of reduced depletion and diversion
  • mapping support
  • soil health best management practices
• Change application support:
  • Change Application Guidence Document
  • Letter of approval pursuant to Utah Code 73-3-30 (4)
  • Join pre-consultation meetings if desired by the applicant
• Water rights coordination support:
  • Join meetings with other entities where water right ownership and permissions/agreements are covered to explain DMPP to third parties
• Measurement and administration support:
  • Resources and coordination for additional measurement (AG-DRIP, UDAF coordination)
  • Verification plan design support
  • Verification of project
  • Full responsibility for coordination with DWRi and interstate/federal entities to ensure provisional accounting of conserved water and multi-year storage plan

• See the 2026 Irrigation Season section for the latest timeline.

• Projects must occur within the Upper Colorado River System in Utah

• Transbasin water users with water rights that move water out of the Colorado River basin can also participate.

• Compensation
• Increased operational flexibility
• Experience in “temporary, voluntary, compensated, protected” water conservation and soil management
• Small, state-funded program means more, local, resources for project design, change application, and measurement support
• Supporting maintenance of Colorado River Compact compliance for yourself, the community, and future generations

• See the 2026 Irrigation Season section for the latest application information.

• No, with an approved change application, your water right will have a new beneficial use of “delivery of water to a reservoir as per Section 73-3-30(4) Utah Code” to protect the water right from being subject to abandonment when enrolled in DMPP.