Pot Creek Watershed Plan
This website provides information and updates on development of a Watershed Plan for the Pot Creek watershed in Uintah County, Utah.
Project Contact
Darrell Gilman
Uintah Conservation District
(435) 722-4621 x127
Photo credit: Heidi Heckethorn
Project Information
The Uintah Conservation District is preparing a Watershed Plan for the Pot Creek Watershed in Uintah County, Utah. The purpose of the Watershed Plan is to gather existing data about the condition of the watershed, and develop a plan to address water quality issues by identifying best management practices to reduce pollution. The watershed plan will open up additional funding opportunities to support implementation of best management practices identified in the watershed plan.
The Pot Creek Watershed is located in the Diamond Mountain area north of Vernal and is approximately 46,303 acres. Surface waters within the Pot Creek Watershed (including Matt Warner and Calder Reservoirs) have water quality impairments related to high concentrations of phosphorus in the water. Elevated concentrations of phosphorus can degrade water quality and encourage overgrowth of algae leading to algae blooms which make the water less suitable for fishing, recreation, and stock watering purposes. Some algae blooms can potentially form toxins that are harmful to fish, birds, and other animals, including humans. Algae blooms have been observed in reservoirs within the Pot Creek watershed periodically since 2004 including in 2017 (which resulted in a fish kill), 2018, and 2019. Additionally, surface waters in the Pot Creek watershed are not supporting recreation and aquatic life beneficial uses due to elevated levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, iron, and aluminum.
Expected Outcomes
This effort will result in creation of partnerships, characterization of conditions and problems in the watershed, identification of goals for the watershed and solutions to water quality problems, and establishment of an implementation program to put solutions into practice.
Project Area
Planning Process and Stakeholder Involvement
To create the Watershed Plan, the Uintah Conservation District and its supporting contractor, SWCA Environmental Consultants will:
Create an Advisory Committee to help guide the planning process
Characterize the watershed and identify problems
Define goals and solutions to water quality problems
Establish an implementation program to protect or restore water quality
Identify funding opportunities to help support future implementation
Interested stakeholders will have the opportunity to engage in the development of the Watershed Plan for the Pot Creek watershed. A first step in the process of addressing non-point-source pollution in the Pot Creek Watershed will be to begin coordinating with key stakeholders at the resident, watershed, county, state, and federal levels. An advisory committee will be formed and composed of stakeholders with a desire to be directly involved in the watershed planning and implementation process.
Project Updates
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