House committee advances bill to ease livestock watering rules, sets small-pond limit at 2 acre-feet

Representative Thomas Chu presented HB 63 to clarify and streamline the process for moving water within sub-drainages to improve grazing distribution and rangeland management. Chu said the bill grew out of multi-year discussions with grazing interests and the Water Development Commission, and the adopted amendment defines a "small pond" as 2 acre-feet or less to give the State Engineer and private landowners clearer standards.

"We made it so it's easier for the state engineer, it's easy for the producer," Representative Chu said, describing the change as a practical step for on-the-ground grazing management. He described examples from forest and desert allotments and said the change came after review by a task force and unanimous support from the Water Development Commission.

Agricultural groups and state agency officials testified in support. Terry Kemp, vice president of public policy for the Utah Farm Bureau, said the organization "supports this bill" and that it "respects other water rights and supports stable working agricultural landscapes across Utah." Troy Forrest, deputy commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, told the committee the 2-acre-foot threshold is far more usable in desert country than previously proposed volumes and would make pipeline and distribution work under the department’s grazing-improvement programs easier.

After brief committee discussion, the panel adopted House Amendment #2 and voted to pass HB 63 as amended with a favorable recommendation. The sponsor asked for committee support and the chair announced the bill passed out of committee as amended.