NOTICE TO CULINARY WATER USERS FN ASHLEY VALLEY In an effort to clarify management policies and procedures of the Ashley Valley Culinary Water System ' owned and operated by Vernal City, Vernal City issues the following notice to all residents and developers of Ashley Valley. 1. Seeking to resolve issues raised in the Gaylon Cook, et al, vs. Vernal City lawsuit, and Vernal City vs. Ashley Valley Water & Sewer Improvement District, et al, both Vernal City and Ashley Valley have filed with the District court a stipulation and settlement settle-ment agreement which has been approved by the Court and incorporated inco an oraer ot tne court which binds the parties to that lawsuit. This stipulation stipula-tion agreement known commonly as the separation separa-tion agreement, provides that the culinary water system in the Ashley Valley will be divided into two systems, one owned by Vernal City within the boundaries of Vernal City and the other owned and operated by the Ashley Valley Water & Sewer Improvement District, which will include the remainder re-mainder of the water system in Ashley Valley excluding the Maeser Water Improvement District and the Jensen Water Improvement District. As part of this separation separa-tion agreement, both parties par-ties agreed with the provision pro-vision that before the separation does occur, the Uintah Water Conser-vancy Conser-vancy District must amend its present contract con-tract with Vernal City pertaining to the purchase pur-chase of 12,000 acre feet of water from the Jensen Unit so as to allow Vernal City to retain 8,000 acre feet of that water and to permit the Ashley Valley Water & Sewer Improvement Improve-ment District to subscribe to the remaining remain-ing 4,000 acre feet. The terms of the separation agreement are subject to the Uintah Water Conservancy Conser-vancy District approving this petition from Ashley Valley Water & Sewer Improvement District. If the Uintah Water Conservancy Conser-vancy District has not reduced the subscription of Vernal City to 8,000 acre feet within 180 days from the date this agree ment was entered in to Court, this agreement may be cancelled by Vernal Ver-nal City and the case will return to its original status prior to the filing of this stipulation. As of this date, the Uintah Uin-tah Water Conservancy District has not approved the petition for the 4,000 acre feet of Jensen Unit water submitted by Ashley Valley Water & Sewer Improvement District, therefore, the separation agreement has not yet taken effect and subsequently Vernal City still maintains responsibility for the ownership and management manage-ment control of the water system throughout the Valley. Until the separation separa-tion agreement becomes effective, any expansion or changes to the water system must be done under the direction of Vernal City. If such expansion ex-pansion or changes are attempted without Vernal City's prior knowledge and approval, Vernal City will have no other alternative alter-native than to take action against those parties making such expansion or changes to the system. 2. During heavy water usage months, it has become increasingly apparent ap-parent that certain areas in the Valley cannot maintain adequate pressure to provide sufficient suffi-cient water service to all the residents in those respective areas. Although Vernal City will make every effort to adjust ad-just valving and pressures in these areas to facilitate adequate water pressures, the City must take measures to restrict further connections connec-tions onto the water system in these areas until un-til such time as necessary corrections can be made to facilitate consistent and satisfactory water pressure. 3. The canal companies in the Ashley Valley area have made recent allegations allega-tions that the culinary water system operated and owned by Vernal City has used more water than it was legally entitled to receive from Ashley Creek as per Vernal City's recognized water rights. These allegations further indicate that the present flows of Ashley Creek will require a substantial reduction in the amount of water delivered to Vernal City's system based on Vernal City's present water rights on the system. The irrigation companies indicate in-dicate that they are willing will-ing to sell to the City sufficient suffi-cient water to meet its needs for the culinary system. Vernal City, however, is presently figures used by the irrigation irriga-tion companies in their determination of Vernal City's water rights and the amount of water delivered in the past from Ashley Creek to the culinary water system. Until this issue is resolved, resolv-ed, however, Vernal City deems it necessary to place a moratorium on future expansion of the culinary water system, i.e., water connections and water extensions outside of the vernal City limits. Vernal City does recognize that there may exist individual requests re-quests for connections outside of the city limits, which if not made would impair the health and welfare of the parties requesting re-questing such connections. connec-tions. In these situations, permission for connections connec-tions onto the system will be addressed on an individual in-dividual basis by the Vernal Ver-nal City Council. Vernal City does hereby submit notice, therefore, that until the stipulation agreement (separation agreement) between Vernal City and the Ashley Valley Water & Sewer Improvement District does take effect that Vernal City will manage and control any future expansion and .changes in the water ; system as presently owned own-ed and operated by the City. Ci-ty. Published in the Vernal Express Oct. 8, 1981.