In 2006, the District filed on water rights in Pine Valley, northwest of Cedar City in Water Right Basin 14, a basin that had been virtually unappropriated over the past 150+ years.
From 2006 to 2019 Beaver County and the Water Conservancy went through years of litigation to determine who had the rights to the water that had been filed on. In 2014, at the request of the State Engineer, the District conducted extensive analysis and hydrologic testing in coordination with multiple agencies and organizations.
Twelve years later in 2018, through collaboration and continued effort, a water rights settlement agreement was reached between the State Engineer, Beaver County Commission, SITLA, and the District. This agreement was finalized in 2019, when the courts decreed 15,000 acre-feet of Pine Valley water rights to the District.
Following the settlement, the next step was securing federal environmental permitting through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since 2019, the District has worked alongside federal experts to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The result is a science-based plan that includes a comprehensive monitoring and mitigation program, with legally binding triggers designed to protect regional resources and senior water right holders.
The Pine Valley Water Supply (PVWS) Project is designed with acute attention to possible environmental impacts. The BLM published the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) March 2nd 2026 seven years after the process began. Followed by the Record of decision signed approving issuance of temporary and long-term right of way grants | Bureau of Land Management.
The Pine Valley Water Supply Project is designed with careful attention to environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability. Notably, it will be one of the first projects of its kind to operate using a fully renewable solar power generation system located on District-owned land. During daylight hours, solar energy will power pumps that move water to a storage tank, from which it will then be delivered to Cedar Valley using gravity.
The Pine Valley (Basin 14) Water Supply Project is a resilient water solution for Cedar Valley in Iron County. It will sustainably supply the valley with 15,000 acre-feet(AF) of court decreed water rights owned by the District. This new source will help restore aquifer levels that have been declining, and provide safe and reliable water for the future.