October Luncheon Recap

We were privileged to hear from Emily Lewis (Clyde Snow) this past week at the October Luncheon, held at the Department of Water Quality in Salt Lake.

Emily covered some important basics of Utah Water Law, introducing everyone to the doctrine of prior appropriation, and  usufructuary rights. 

 One who uses water...does not thereby come to own the corpus of the water; rather, that individual has the right to the advantages of its use rather than to the fluid itself.

-Barbanell, Edward. 2001. Water Rights Doctrines, East and West. Common-Property Arrangements and Scarce Resources. pp. 42

She also described the five distinct parts of water rights:

1. Nature of Use
2. Priority Date (especially important when considering the inventory of the water portfolio for potential projects)
3. Place of Use
4. Point of Diversion
5. Source

And Emily presented some interesting case studies that demonstrate how water law can play a major role in water projects and  management:

What does water law mean for me as a water resource professional?

- New ways to think about dealing with Water Quality through shifting rights

- Collaborative approach to dealing with multiple entities (e.g. Park City)

- Conservation and Redefining Beneficial Uses