UT HB0187

Water rights held by water conservancy districts for use in the Colorado River's lower basin are exempt from abandonment or forfeiture for nonuse, provided the district owns, leases, or is contractually entitled to use the water and plans to divert it within the lower basin

Private parties and non-governmental entities are prohibited from filing instream flow change applications if the diversion point is located within the lower basin as defined by the Colorado River Compact

State divisions (Wildlife Resources, State Parks, Forestry/Fire/State Lands) are prohibited from filing change applications under Subsection 4 for delivering water to Colorado River System reservoirs if the diversion point is in the lower basin

A coordination clause links this bill with H.B. 348 (Dedicated Water Amendments) to extend the lower basin restrictions to dedicated water applications if both bills become law

Effective date is May 6, 2026, with partial repeal of Section 73-1-4 scheduled for December 31, 2030