The DWR purchased the east parcel of the Kingston Canyon WMA in 2010. The purchase included water right shares in the Kingston Irrigation Company that are for irrigation use. Water Rights must be used or we can lose them. Starting in 2016 the DWR leased grazing rights on the property to a local rancher, who operates and maintains the irrigation system in exchange for grazing on the property. The existing diversion structure does not operate well and has an old, hard to operate, hand sliding headgate. When the headgate is closed, sediment fills the diversion channel (there is no sediment bypass system). Once the top section of the diversion canal fills with sediment, water cannot flow from the stream down to the headgate and into the canal. The canal has to be dug out to get water to flow down the canal. The DWR needs to install concrete walls with 2 headgates. One gate will direct flows down the irrigation canal, and the other headgate, when open, will allow sluicing of sediment back to the river and keep the canal ditch open. The diversion structure needs to be rebuilt so we can use all of our water right when we need to. In addition, the irrigation canal flows into a buried PVC pipeline so water can cross the river and irrigate a pasture on the other side. The pipeline is broken in two places, which needs to be repaired.

Rebuild diversion structure. Consistently get water flows down the irrigation canal. Utilize all of DWR water rights. Repair broken pipeline.

None, however, if DWR should lose its water rights, meadows would not get irrigated and the landscape would change.

The Kingston Canyon WMA management plan has guidelines for managing livestock grazing and irrigating the property. The diversion will help meet the guidelines. Meets DWR Resource goal to: Conserve, enhance and actively manage Utah's protected wildlife populations. And objectives: Objective R2 - Maintain existing wildlife habitat and increase the quality of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state. Objective R4 - Decrease risks to species and their habitats through integrated implementation of the Wildlife Action Plan, species recovery plans, conservation agreements and other management plans (species, AIS, disease, etc.).

Not applicable

Temporary small addition to sediment into the stream during construction of cross vane. Otherwise no changes.

Stream Channel Alteration permit needed to build rock cross vane. Other work is maintenance on existing diversion.

The DWR Heavy Equipment crew will be used to rebuild the diversion. An excavator will place three precast concrete walls with two screw type head gates at the proper elevation in the diversion canal and pack soils around them. A rock cross-vane structure will be rebuilt starting from the concrete wall out into the stream and across to the other bank. A steel grate trash rack to catch woody debris will be install at the front of the concrete walls. Work will be done after irrigation flows in the river are shut off, in the fall. The irrigation pipeline will be dug up in two locations and a rubber sleeve put around the pipe.

The local rancher responsible for irrigation will operate the system and make sure it functions correctly.

None

DWR will maintain the irrigation system for larger problems. Minor repairs and maintenance work will be completed by local rancher.

Irrigation of pastures will allow good forage and cover to grow that benefits many wildlife species, such as elk, deer, turkeys, and many non-game species.

02/01/2023

06/30/2023

2023

The project was not implemented and has been suspended indefinitely.

A Stream Alteration Permit application was submitted for the project, which raised two important water rights issue. First, there was a discrepancy between how the point of diversion had been operated and the official recording for the point of diversion associated with this diversion improvement project. While the discrepancy was essentially a book-keeping error that was ultimately resolved, it significantly delayed the potential start date of the project and work plans for the personnel planning to implement the project could not accommodate the change. Second, we were alerted to the need for installing flow measurement devices as part of the diversion improvement, which was not resolved and would have likely increased the cost of the project.

The need for the project remains, so the diversion improvement work will occur in the future when there is adequate funding and personnel to implement and figure out the necessary flow monitoring devices that need to be added to the project.