Eastland Ucolo Water Adjudication

The Utah Division of Water Rights (DWRi) met with the Monticello City Council on March 26 and to the San Juan County Commission on April 2, about the water rights adjudication process and its plans to kick off adjudication efforts in the Eastland area this summer.
Eastland area residents should receive letters inviting them to a public meeting this spring to discuss the general water rights adjudication process. 
Water rights adjudication is one of the key obligations of the Utah Division of Water Rights, the state regulatory agency charged with bringing order and certainty to the water rights record. The division defines existing water rights, quantifies historical water rights, and removes unused and abandoned rights.
“As development continues throughout San Juan County, it is important for us to know how much water is actually in use,” said Marc Stilson. “Many early filings for water rights may have been abandoned, but the paper water right still exists in our files.” 
At the March 26 Monticello City Council meeting, Stilson and others outlined the adjudication process:
• A water right summons is sent to all water rights and property owners in the selected area. This summons tells potential claimants how to file water user claims to protect any water rights they believe they own.
• Water users should look for information related to water rights they may own.
• At the public meeting, engineers from DWRi will be available to answer questions.
• DWRi staff will be in San Juan County every week throughout the process investigating claims, helping water users with questions and preparing a report to present to the court. 
• Visit www.waterrights.utah.gov or call 801-538-5282.
• Adjudication moves quickly under a fixed schedule. Claimants need to promptly act as directed to protect their rights in the course of the legal proceedings.
They send notices to all property owners and area residents to give everyone an opportunity to participate. Individuals who don’t own water rights can disregard the notices.
To learn more, visit waterrights.utah.gov.