Central Utah Project facts for kids
The Central Utah Project is a huge water project in the United States. It was started to help Utah get its share of water from the Colorado River. This project helps provide water for homes, farms, and businesses. It also helps with power generation, recreation, and protecting fish and wildlife.
The Central Utah Project was planned to have six main parts, called "units": the Bonneville Unit, Jensen Unit, Vernal Unit, Uintah Unit, Upalco Unit, and Ute Indian Unit. The biggest and most complex part is the Bonneville Unit. It moves water from the Uinta Basin (part of the Colorado River area) to the Lake Bonneville Basin. The other units were designed to help develop local water supplies in the Uinta Basin.
Building the Central Utah Project took a long time. It was complicated, needed many environmental studies, and didn't always get enough money from the government. Because of this slow progress, local and state officials asked Congress to let a local group, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, finish the project.
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Central Utah Project Completion Act
The Central Utah Project Completion Act (often called CUPCA) was passed on October 30, 1992. This law changed who was in charge of finishing the Central Utah Project. For the first time, Congress allowed a local group, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, to plan and build a major federal water project.
This act created a partnership between the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, the United States Department of the Interior, and a new group called the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. This new commission was set up to help protect the environment because of the project.
What CUPCA Does
The Central Utah Project Completion Act helped finish the project by:
- Providing Water for the Future: It gave enough money to complete the project, ensuring water for Utah's future, especially in the Uinta Basin.
- Creating Fun Places: The project facilities offer many places for recreation, like boating and fishing.
- Managing Money Wisely: It made sure that local money was used along with federal money. This helped everyone be more careful with spending.
- Protecting the Environment: It created the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. This group plans ways to protect and improve the environment affected by the project. It also makes sure rivers have enough water for fish.
- Saving Water: The act provided money to help plan and carry out ways to save water.
- Helping Local Areas: It gave money for local water projects in areas that didn't directly benefit from the main project.
- Settling with the Ute Tribe: It helped the Northern Ute Tribe settle their water rights and claims. The act provided funds to the Tribe for agricultural development, improving fish and wildlife areas, creating recreation spots, and boosting their economy. This was because the government hadn't built some promised parts of the project for the Tribe.
Project Units
As mentioned, the Central Utah Project was originally planned with six units.
Bonneville Unit
The Bonneville Unit is located in central and northeastern Utah. It provides water to several counties, including Salt Lake, Utah, Wasatch, Summit, and Duchesne. This unit collects and stores extra water from streams, buys water rights, and uses water from Utah Lake.
This unit moves water from the Uinta Basin to the Bonneville Basin. Once finished, it will deliver a lot of water for farming and for homes and businesses. It also ensures enough water in streams for fish, helps control floods, and provides places for recreation.
The Bonneville Unit is divided into six systems:
- Starvation Collection System
- Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System
- Municipal and Industrial System
- Ute Indian Tribal Development
- Diamond Fork System
- Utah Lake System
Starvation Collection System
The Starvation Collection System was finished in 1970. It provides water for farms, homes, and businesses in the Duchesne County area. It also helps control floods and offers recreation and wildlife benefits. Water is stored in the Starvation Reservoir, which is on the Strawberry River. This reservoir helps farmers by providing water in late summer and fall when streamflows are low. It also helps fish and offers public recreation.
Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System
This system was completed in the late 1980s. It takes water from Rock Creek and other streams and moves it through the 36.8-mile (59.2 km) long Strawberry Aqueduct to Strawberry Reservoir. Upper Stillwater Reservoir helps regulate the water flow. Currant Creek Reservoir also diverts water into the aqueduct. The Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System provides water for fish in streams. The Strawberry Reservoir was made much larger by building Soldier Creek Dam. Most of the water stored here is moved to the Bonneville Basin. This system also helps with flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife.
Municipal and Industrial System
This system provides water for homes and businesses in Salt Lake, Utah, and Wasatch Counties. It also gives extra water for farming in Wasatch and Summit Counties. It helps with flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife. Jordanelle Dam (completed in 1994) is a major part of this system. Water from the Provo River is stored in Jordanelle Reservoir and Deer Creek Reservoir.
Water for northern Utah County and Salt Lake County is released from Jordanelle Reservoir or taken from the Provo River. It then travels through the 38-mile (61 km) Jordan Aqueduct and the 14-mile (23 km) Alpine Aqueduct. In 2005, a lease was signed to build turbines and generators at Jordanelle Dam to produce electricity. This power plant was expected to be fully working by summer 2008.
Diamond Fork System
The Diamond Fork System moves water from Strawberry Reservoir (in the Colorado River area) to Spanish Fork Canyon (in the Bonneville Basin). It also protects the Diamond Fork Creek and Sixth Water Creek areas from high water flows. This system was built in three main parts. The 19.8-mile (31.9 km) long pipe carries water to the mouth of Diamond Fork Canyon. It also helps ensure enough water flows in Sixth Water Creek and lower Diamond Fork Creek for fish.
Ute Indian Tribal Development
This project aims to help replace fish and wildlife habitats lost on Indian lands because of the Bonneville Unit. Bottle Hollow Reservoir was built to help the Ute Tribe for economic losses from fishing on Rock Creek. This reservoir offers fishing, wildlife habitat, and helps create jobs and income for tribal members. The Lower Duchesne River Wetlands Mitigation Project is also being planned to create and improve wetland habitats along the Duchesne River. This project fulfills promises to help the Tribe for impacts on wetlands from the Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System.
Utah Lake System
The Utah Lake System (ULS) is the final part of the Bonneville Unit. Planning for it was completed in 2004, and construction began in 2007.
This system includes power plants, pipelines, and flow control structures. These parts will deliver water to cities in southern Utah County. They will also deliver water to Hobble Creek to help the June sucker, an endangered fish. Water will also go to the lower Provo River to help with stream flows. The system will also generate electricity at two hydropower plants.
Jensen Unit
The Jensen Unit is in Uintah County in northeastern Utah. It serves the Ashley Valley area. This unit was planned to provide water for homes, businesses, and farms. The Uintah Water Conservancy District manages this unit.
Initially, the Jensen Unit was designed to provide a lot of water for oil shale production, which was expected to boom. However, when oil shale production didn't happen as quickly, the amount of water for homes and businesses was reduced. Later, when oil production increased, interest in using the remaining water grew.
The Jensen Unit includes the Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir, the Tyzack Pumping Plant and Aqueduct, and irrigation drains.
Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir
Construction of Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir was completed in 1980. It is located about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Vernal, Utah. The reservoir can hold a lot of water and has a surface area of 521 acres (2.11 km²).
Tyzack Pumping Plant and Aqueduct
The Tyzack Pumping Plant delivers water from Red Fleet Reservoir to the Ashley Valley Treatment Plant. It was completed in 1983. The aqueduct is a pressurized pipe that extends 11.7 miles (18.8 km) to Ashley Creek.
Irrigation drains
Drains were built for about 700 acres (2.8 km²) of farmland. These drains help manage water levels in the soil.
Vernal Unit
The Vernal Unit is near Vernal, Utah. It provides extra water for farming about 14,781 acres (59.81 km²) and water for homes and businesses in Vernal, Naples, and Maeser. Construction of this unit began in 1959 and was finished in 1963. The Uintah Water Conservancy District manages it.
The Vernal Unit includes Steinaker Dam and Reservoir and other facilities to move water.
Steinaker Dam and Reservoir
Water from Ashley Creek is stored by Steinaker Dam, which was built in Steinaker Draw. The dam is 162 feet (49 m) high. Steinaker Reservoir can hold a total of 38,173 acre-feet (47,087,000 m³) of water and has a surface area of 820 acres (3.3 km²). In 1993, the dam was modified to meet safety requirements.
Diversion and Carriage Facilities
The Thornburgh Diversion Dam takes water from Ashley Creek and sends it to Steinaker Reservoir through the 2.8-mile (4.5 km) Steinaker Feeder Canal. Water from the reservoir is then released into the Steinaker Service Canal and sent south 11.6 miles (18.7 km) to existing canals for use.
Uintah and Upalco Units
The Uintah and Upalco Units were never built as originally planned. Instead, the Uinta Basin Replacement Project was constructed to take their place. This project's main parts were completed in 2006. In 2002, Congress officially changed the authorization for these units to the Bonneville Unit for the Uintah Basin Replacement Project and other Central Utah Project Completion Act purposes.
Ute Indian Unit
The Ute Indian Unit was planned to include a pipeline from Flaming Gorge Dam to the Uinta Basin. However, it was never built due to engineering and environmental challenges. As part of the Ute Indian Rights Settlement, the United States made an agreement with the Ute Tribe to compensate them for not completing this unit.
Recreation Facilities
The reservoirs built as part of the Central Utah Project offer many opportunities for recreation.
Bonneville Unit
Jordanelle Dam and Reservoir
Jordanelle Reservoir is a newer reservoir, built in the 1980s. It has two main recreation areas: Hailstone and Rock Cliff. Hailstone is a large campground and day-use area popular for boating and RV camping. Rock Cliff Nature Center is a quieter area along the Upper Provo River, with wetlands, walking trails, and bird watching.
The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation manages recreation at Jordanelle Reservoir. They offer programs for kids, nature hikes, and boating safety.
Soldier Creek Dam and Strawberry Reservoir
The Strawberry Dam and Reservoir were made larger in the 1980s. New facilities were built for recreation. There are four main developed areas: Strawberry Bay, Soldier Creek, Renegade Point, and Aspen Grove.
- Strawberry Bay has many campsites, picnic areas, and evening programs in the summer. There's also a visitor center, fish-cleaning station, gas station, restaurant, and grocery store. In winter, people enjoy snowmobiling and ice fishing.
- Renegade Point has campsites and trails.
- Soldier Creek has campsites and group picnic areas. You can fish during the day on the northern and eastern sides of the lake.
- Aspen Grove features campsites and a trail along the shoreline. There's also a small marina store and fish cleaning station.
The US Forest Service manages recreation at Strawberry Reservoir. It's very popular for fishing, especially for rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Starvation Dam and Reservoir
Starvation State Park was created in 1972. The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation manages recreation here. Facilities include RV sites, tent sites, group campsites, showers, and restrooms. There's a popular annual walleye fishing tournament. The park has many coves, remote beaches, and beautiful blue water.
Currant Creek Dam and Reservoir
Currant Creek Dam is a high-elevation lake in a forest. It was completed in 1982. Most of the shoreline is managed by the US Forest Service. There is a campground with campsites, picnic areas, swimming, toilets, and a boat ramp. Winter access is limited because the canyon is not plowed.
Upper Stillwater Dam and Reservoir
Upper Stillwater Reservoir is another high-mountain reservoir. It has one main campground, Rock Creek. This reservoir is a popular starting point for trails into the High Uintas Wilderness Area. The U.S. Forest Service manages recreation here. It's popular for fishing for rainbow, brown, and brook trout.
Jensen Unit
Red Fleet Dam and Reservoir
Red Fleet Reservoir, near Vernal, Utah, is the main feature of the Jensen Unit. The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation manages recreation here. Facilities include a sandy beach, boat ramp, restrooms, campsites, picnic tables, and fish cleaning stations. Dinosaur tracks, 200 million years old, were found on the east side of the reservoir!
Vernal Unit - Steinaker Dam and Reservoir
Steinaker Reservoir near Vernal is the main feature of the Vernal Unit. The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation manages recreation here. The park opened in 1964. Popular activities include swimming, boating, and waterskiing. You can fish for rainbow trout and largemouth bass all year.
Facilities include a boat ramp, restrooms, sewage disposal station, campsites, and group-use pavilions.
