News Release Archive

Reclamation transfers another federal water facility to local ownership in Utah

Media Contact: Linda Friar, 385-228-4845, lfriar@usbr.gov

For Release: January 13, 2021

Regional Director Wayne Pullan signing Hyrum-Mendon Canal and Wellsville Canal title transfersSALT LAKE CITY – The Bureau of Reclamation finalized the transfer of the Hyrum-Mendon Canal and Wellsville Canal, part of the Hyrum Project in Cache County, Utah, to the Wellsville-Mendon Conservation District. This transfer will give the District more flexibility to manage and invest in its infrastructure, make operations more cost-effective and better serve water users in southwest Cache Valley. This transfer marks the sixth completed water project transfer under the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act (P.L. 116-9). The act expedites the title transfer process for eligible projects, such as dams, canals and other water-related facilities.

“Reclamation’s title transfer program has been a great success, allowing local districts to take control of their infrastructure where they have operated, maintained, and paid for these facilities for years,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman. “Thanks to the Reclamation team and all of our partners in Utah for their work to complete this transfer.”

This transfer will continue Reclamation’s focus on removing bureaucratic obstacles and enabling local control for water-related infrastructure. The Wellsville-Mendon Conservation District has paid the federal government for these facilities over time and will now operate and maintain them as owners for the benefit of their customers for years to come. Other features of the Hyrum Project, including Hyrum Dam and Reservoir, will remain in federal ownership and will continue to operate through a partner agreement with the South Cache Water Users Association.

“We are pleased to partner with the Wellsville Mendon Conservation District in this title transfer. Over many years they have shown their capability to respond to the critical operation maintenance needs of the canal,” said Wayne Pullan, Regional Director for Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin Region. “Their expertise will serve the public well.”

“I commend the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation for working with the Wellsville-Mendon Conservancy District to expeditiously complete another title transfer in Utah,” said Senator Mike Lee. “Gaining title to the Hyrum-Mendon Canal and the Wellsville Canal will give the District more flexibility to manage its infrastructure and better serve water users in southwest Cache Valley. This transfer is a true win-win for the District and the Bureau of Reclamation.”

“It is a very good thing when rights and responsibilities are returned from federal control into the hands of those who are closest to them. With the finalization of the transfers of the Hyrum-Mendon Canal and Wellsville Canal, the communities in the northern part of our state will be able to manage their water in order to better meet their needs,” said Senator Mitt Romney. “This is a great day for the Wellsville-Mendon Conservation District, whose work and hard-fought efforts have paid off. I enjoy seeing these transfers enacted, and I thank Secretary Bernhardt for making them a priority. One of my first actions in the Senate was co-sponsoring and working to maintain Utah portions of the public lands package, and I will continue the fight for greater local involvement in the decision making over our lands and resources.”

“This title transfer is a step in the right direction toward empowering local water users to have more say in managing their critical water infrastructure,” said Congressman Blake Moore. “I am pleased to see that the Bureau of Reclamation is making good use of its expedited transfer process, and I am confident that the Wellsville-Mendon Conservation District will do an excellent job managing these water facilities with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.”

The Hyrum Project was authorized by Congress under the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 and includes Hyrum Dam and Reservoir, Hyrum Feeder Canal, Wellsville Canal and the Hyrum-Mendon Canal. Only the Wellsville and Hyrum-Mendon Canals and their associated lands are affected by this transfer. The project stores water from the Little Bear River and delivers irrigation water to about 8,800 acres.

“The title transfer will be a good thing for the District. It will benefit our water users by keeping operations at the local level and help us seek new sources of funding to maintain and upgrade the canals,” said Wellsville-Mendon Conservation District President Quinn Murray. “This transfer will promote better opportunities for cost-effective operation and ensure long-term benefits to the water users. Reclamation has been very supportive of the title transfer.”

The Hyrum-Mendon Canal and Wellsville Canal title transfer aligns with the Department of the Interior’s priorities to work with local water users to stimulate infrastructure investment through local ownership. This authorization saves money for the taxpayers and reduces the federal government’s liability while enhancing facility use and increasing flexibility for the District.

Since President Trump’s signing of the Dingell Act, the Administration has transferred six federal water projects to local water users in Utah, North Dakota and Idaho. The first two federal water facilities transferred to local ownership were the Emery County Project in east-central Utah and the Uintah Basin Replacement Project in northeastern Utah. The third title transfer conveyed full ownership of the Oakes Test Area to the Dickey-Sargent Irrigation District in Oakes, North Dakota. The fourth and fifth transfers were to the A&B Irrigation District and the Minidoka Irrigation District in Idaho. Today’s transfer of the Hyrum-Mendon Canal and the Wellsville Canal is the sixth transfer.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act