This project is supplemental to Project #3422. Unfortunately, although the Weber River gauging team funded the construction of the gauges, as promised in that project. All of the project partners have struggled to secure the necessary funding needed to sustain the data collection into the future. In order to support the entire gauging effort, we are hoping to secure additional funding to sustain the O and M of the gauges. The Weber River watershed has experienced a long history of water development. Although critically important for our communities, many of the developments have had unforeseen impacts to the aquatic ecosystem, which also contributes greatly to our collective quality of life. One of the most significant challenges we face when managing and restoring the Weber River and its many tributaries is to strike the balance between these critical services, such as providing safe, reliable and sustainable water supply, and the protection and enhancement of the ecological and recreational values of the watershed. This challenge will become increasingly complex in the future, as long-term trends suggest that our water supply is declining and human demands on these increasingly scarce water resources is expected to rise significantly in the future. A critical strategy now in place, to ensure that the needs of diverse interests within the watershed are being met is the formation of the Weber River Partnership. One of the primary accomplishments of this organization is hosting an annual conference to provide a forum for communication to allow diverse stakeholders to communicate with each other. During the inaugural conference in 2014, water and wildlife managers, conservation organizations and private landowners clarified the need for collaborative participation toward mutual goals and objectives, and agreed that water supply and in-stream flows were among the most pressing issues in the watershed. As a result of that conference, it is clear that steps need to be taken to more-effectively manage and deliver finite water supplies, while also seeking to balance ecological and recreational needs, such as the needs of recreational fishing and the needs of native fish species of special conservation concern. This need was made abundantly clear during the summers of 2012-2015, when water supplies have been low and as a result, water budgets have been with water being delivered with narrow tolerances for error. Unfortunately, in many instances, the existing real-time measuring infrastructure has been lacking to provide the necessary information for water managers and conservation interests to monitor river flows effectively. This has necessitated water managers to observe in-stream flows in-person, rather than in real-time using advanced web-based tools provided by real-time stream gauge stations. These events highlighted the need for additional stream gauges at seven strategic locations in order to more effectively monitor in-stream flows in real-time. Without those seven gauge stations, we have documented over 10 inadvertent de-watering events that have taken place in the Weber River mainstem. Each of those six events temporarily de-watered a high priority reach of the Weber River that extends from the mouth of Weber Canyon downstream to the confluence with the Ogden River. This reach of the Weber River supports one of the few known remaining "fluvial" populations of Bonneville cutthroat trout, a thriving brown trout sport fishery, as well as the Weber River stronghold for native bluehead suckers, a species of special conservation concern. This project seeks to continue to leverage the broad-based partnerships among watershed partners in order to effectively balance the water delivery needs of water users while providing for the in-stream flow needs of important sport fish species and native fish species of concern.

The objective of this project is to continue to support the partners in the Weber River Gauging project (WRI Project# 3422) by providing partial funding to maintain and operate the Lower Weber River Gauge for a negotiated term.

As stated in the previous proposal (3422) although this is not an on-the-ground project, the previous project and this project provide the necessary tools to limit the potentially damaging effects of repeated dewatering or chronically low flow events in the Lower Weber River during the summer months. Although the previous project was only focused on constructing the infrastructure, many of the project partners are struggling to secure the needed funding to maintain and operate the gauges so that they can meet their purpose. This project proposal helps partially meet that goal by contributing to the larger effort.

This project addresses the systemic issues within a highly regulated watershed. The primary benefits from this project are ensuring that adequate flows are are being delivered to cricital riverine habitats within the Weber River Basin. The Weber River Watershed Plan identified instream flows as being a critical need within the Watershed, particularly with changes in water use patterns and an increasingly variable climate.

Not applicable.

Maintaining the tools to track water flows is a major water quantity benefit in the Lower Weber River. The Weber River is a highly managed system with three federal BOR projects as well as almost 200 individual irrigation diversions. Tracking river flows in real time is very challenging and there are many reaches of streams that, without a real time gauge, do not allow water managers to react quickly enough to ensure that the needed system water is in the river channel. Just maintaining this gauge allows for adequate water to be in the channel to sustain the important fish populations in the 12 miles of the Lower Weber River.

NEPA, Section 7 Consultation and Archaeological clearances have been addressed in the previous project.

The USGS estimates that annual funds needed to maintain a gauge are $9,660. The approach here would be to enter into an agreement with the Weber River Water Users or the Utah Division of Water Rights to provide one-time funding of approximately 40-50% of the O&M costs over a period of 8-10 years.

Monitoring of this project will occur through use and observation of on-line and real-time stream gauge data, and all data will be stored and managed using existing publicly available and online platforms developed and managed by USGS.

USGS, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Trout Unlimited, Utah Division of Water Rights, Weber River Water User's Association, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, Bureau or Reclamation.

One of the major challenges of these new gauges is ensuring that the resources exist to sustain them for the long term. We understand that maintenance of many of these gauge stations will be provided by the Weber River Water Users Association, and the USGS under a cost-share agreement with the Utah Division of Water Rights. However, there is a need among partners to try to find ways to distribute the burdens of operations and maintenance among all of the partners.

None directly.

07/01/2016

06/30/2017

2017

We developed a 10 year cooperative agreement with the Weber River Water Rights Committee, which oversees the whole of flow monitoring at gauging stations across the basin. The agreement provides a one-time payment to the Water Rights Committee to support O and M at the Uinta Gauge. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ut/nwis/uv/?site_no=10136600&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,62614,00010,00095,00400,00300,00045

This project primarily consisted of several collaborative meetings between TU, the UDWR and the Weber River Water Rights Committee. Through these meetings we determined the final agreement and terms of a long term commitment to maintaining the Weber I-84 Gauge. We are encouraged by this collaborative effort and hope it continues in the future. The operation of this gauge has provided much more consistent flow at the lower Weber River gauge, with a general minimum flow of around 100 cfs. On several occasions from 2012-2016 acute low flows and dewatering occurred. This project alone has allowed for consistent flows for approximately 12 miles of the Weber River.

After 10 years, project partners will need to determine how they want to move forward. Current O&M expenses are approximately $10k per year. This expense is very reasonable considering that it ensures flows are maintained over a long stream length.