Hydrologic Basins and Sub Basins
Utah Geospatial Resource Center. (2023). Utah Watersheds Area. [dataset]. Utah Department of Government Operations, Division of Technology Services. https://gis.utah.gov/products/sgid/water/watersheds/.
This map delineates sub-basin areas used to inform Utah’s water budget along with the Colorado River and Great Salt Lake basins. This data is maintained by the Utah Geospatial Resource Center using the National Watershed Boundary Dataset. You can view the legend for this map by clicking the “i” icon in the top left corner.
Water Related Land Use
Utah Geospatial Resource Center. (2024). Utah Water Related Land Use. [Data set]. UGRC. https://gis.utah.gov/products/sgid/planning/water-related-land-use/
This map colorizes land based on its water use. The dataset, maintained by the Utah Division of Water Resources, focuses on land where water is being used for municipal, agricultural, and natural uses. Each type of use draws varying quantities of water for different purposes and each category returns a proportion of water diverted back to the system after use. For example, water diverted for municipal use often returns through the wastewater treatment system. Another example is water diverted for agricultural use percolating into groundwater or running off into streams. You can view a legend for this map by clicking on the “i” symbol in the top left corner.
Landscape Incentive Programs
Utah Division of Water Resources. (n.d.) Landscape Incentive Program. [Database]. Utah Department of Natural Resources. https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/57526f54f242495db1994af65047e631
This chart aggregates data from the Landscape Incentive Program. This program incentivizes water efficient landscape transitions by providing a rebate for landowners. Organized by municipality, the size of each bubble represents the area (sq-ft) converted through this program. The rebate payout is also recorded for reference.
Culinary Water Service Areas
Utah Geospatial Resource Center. (n.d.). Utah Culinary Water Service Areas. [Dataset]. Utah Department of Government Operations, Division of Technology Services. https://gis.utah.gov/products/sgid/utilities/retail-culinary-water/.
This map situates Utah’s culinary water service providers in purple. Culinary Water is water that has been treated to drinking water standards. Culinary Water is provided by municipalities, water conservancy districts, and small residential systems. Individuals outside culinary service boundaries typically receive drinking water from privately owned wells. Well water is generally untreated and is not monitored for potential contamination. You can view a legend using the “i” in the top left corner of this map, use the box icon with an arrow in the top left corner to view this visualization in ArcGIS Online MapViewer.
Utah Water Budget
Utah Division of Water Resources. (2023). Water Budget Data. [Data set]. Utah Department of Natural Resources. https://dwre-utahdnr.opendata.arcgis.com/pages/water-budget-data
The Utah Department of Natural Resources Water Budget Model gathers data from agricultural, municipal and industrial, wetland, reservoir, climate, and water supply inputs and calculates the major inputs and outputs for each sub-basin by year. Tables are broken down by basin area and contain annual precipitation and categorical depletions for the years 2010-2022. Precipitation measures the amount of rain and snowfall within the region. Depletions in each category measure the amount of water drawn and lost from the system due to consumptive use. Water is measured in acre-ft. The Utah Department of Natural Resources has been collecting this data since 2010; you can adjust the years displayed in the table using the drop-down list to the right of the table. Additionally, you can filter by basin area using the checklist in the top right corner.
End of Water Year Fill Levels
Utah Division of Water Resources. (n.d.). Reservoir Levels. [Dataset]. Utah Department of Natural Resources. https://water.utah.gov/reservoirlevels/
The Utah Division of Water Resources carefully monitors the fill levels of waterbodies across the state, including both storage reservoirs and naturally occurring water bodies. Water years start and end October 1; this allows for precipitation falling as snow during the winter months to be accounted for in the same water year when it runs off in spring. Additionally, most drainage from storage reservoirs is finished by the end of the water year. Reported here is the volume of each waterbody (reported in acre feet) at the end of the water year. The chart below provides a percentage of the total waterbody capacity for a single water year selected using the bottom slider. The entire view is filterable by waterbody.
Impaired Watersheds
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2025). EPA_Impaired_Waters_Y2025Q3. [Dataset]. ESRI in ArcGIS Rest Services Directory. https://services.arcgis.com/P3ePLMYs2RVChkJx/arcgis/rest/services/EPA_Impaired_Waters_Y2025Q3/FeatureServer
Biennial reports on surface water quality are required to be submitted by states to the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Water Act. Water quality data are analyzed in these reports to determine whether assessed areas support their designated beneficial uses, including drinking water, recreation, agricultural use, and in-stream flows for ecological purposes. Waterbodies that fail to support their beneficial uses are listed as impaired, and total maximum daily load plans are established for the watershed to restore the waterbody. The EPA maintains a list of impaired watersheds. Watersheds with impaired waterbodies and total maximum daily load plans are highlighted on this map in pink. You can view a legend of this map by clicking the “i” in the top left corner. If you would like functionality to turn on and off layers, use the box icon with an arrow in the top left corner to view this visualization in ArcGIS Online MapViewer.
Harmful Algae Bloom History
Utah Division of Water Quality. (2024, April 2). Historic Utah Division of Water Quality Harmful Algal Bloom Advisories. Utah Division of Environmental Quality.
Utah Division of Water Quality is responsible for monitoring the presence of harmful algae in Utah. This dataset details the history of Harmful Algae Blooms by waterbody across the state of Utah. The type or severity of each bloom is indicated by the color of the bar, and the length determines its width, spanning across the dates along the x axis. The filters to the right of the chart allow you to filter by advisory type, year that the bloom occurred, length of bloom, and waterbody using a checklist. For example, if you are looking for information on dangerous and health watch blooms lasting longer than 10 days in Utah Lake in the last 5 years the filters can be set as follows:
- Type: Check “Danger” and “Health Watch” leave other values unchecked
- Year: Adjust the low end of the slider to capture only the last 10 years
- Length: Adjust the low end of the slider exclude values less than 10 days
- Waterbody: Uncheck “All” at the top of the list, then scroll through to find and check Utah Lake