A new assessment of groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley watershed in southern Utah shows an amount that is about 30–40% lower than previously reported, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report.
Future growth in the Moab, Utah, area is dependent on adequate water resources. With surface waters fully appropriated, water needs to support future development must be met with groundwater resources. The last assessment to determine how much groundwater is available in the Spanish Valley area was completed in the 1970s.
“These findings will be useful to local and state water managers in evaluating how much additional development can be sustained in the Moab area with the groundwater available,” said lead author and USGS scientist Melissa Masbruch. “This information can also help decision-makers make informed choices as they develop a future groundwater management plan.”
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