Members of the Uintah and Duchesne County Farm Bureaus met in Roosevelt on May 4 with Teresa Wilhelmsen, Utah State Engineer and Director of the Utah Division of Water Rights, and Amy Haas, Executive Director of the Colorado River Authority of Utah. The meeting focused on the Colorado River System and ongoing negotiations between Upper Basin (Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico) and Lower Basin States (Nevada, California, and Arizona).

Wilhelmsen and Haas also discussed Utah S.B. 144, Water Instream Flow Amendments (Sen. Hinkins), which will help Utah water stay under Utah control by ensuring that conserved water has legal protection to reach a reservoir if a future demand management program is approved and implemented.


Farm Bureau members asked important questions about the Colorado River negotiations and what Wilhelmsen's and Haas’ teams are doing to ensure the water rights of farmers and ranchers are protected to the maximum extent possible. Haas provided important background information on the establishment of the Colorado River Authority of Utah and its role, as well as historical context related to the Law of the River. Wilhelmsen discussed the role of the state engineer and the Division of Water Rights, how measurement and reporting is changing for the better, and the new tools available through the Division to ensure that water rights are recorded correctly, and that water is measured and reported accurately.