Colorado River Authority of Utah

What Colorado River Authority of Utah does

The Colorado River Authority of Utah is an independent state agency of the State of Utah, established in March 2021 by HB297 legislation and operating from Salt Lake City with a small staff of approximately 7-9 personnel. Its statutory mandate is to protect, preserve, conserve, and develop Utah's interests in the Colorado River system, including the state's 23% allocation of the Upper Colorado River Basin under the 1948 Upper Basin Compact. The Authority serves agricultural water users (62% of Utah's Colorado River use), municipal and industrial users (23%), and seven federally recognized Tribes with lands in Utah's basin, while also coordinating with the six other Colorado River Basin states and the Bureau of Reclamation on interstate Compact compliance and post-2026 operating framework negotiations.

The Authority's portfolio centers on water measurement and demand management infrastructure. Core programs include the OpenET data platform (satellite-based evapotranspiration measurement), the Utah Flux Network of eddy covariance stations, the Airborne Snow Survey pilot using ASO Inc. technology, the UCRAF hydrological forecasting model (expanded to three river basins by 2023), the Utah Demand Management Pilot Program, the AG-DRIP agricultural optimization program with Utah State University Extension, and the Utah Diversion Measurement and Telemetry Program. Stakeholder input flows through five advisory councils (Northern, Central, Southeast, Southwest, Agriculture) covering 17 Utah counties.

The Authority is funded through Utah state government appropriations and federal grants (including approximately $96 million from the Bureau of Reclamation's Inflation Reduction Act allocations), with revenue mechanics inapplicable in a commercial sense as it does not sell products or services. Distribution occurs via government-to-government channels, public board meetings, advisory councils, and stakeholder communications including a monthly newsletter and twice-monthly Distilled News publication.

Name

Colorado River Authority of Utah

Legal name

Colorado River Authority of Utah

Website

https://cra.utah.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Colorado River Authority of Utah is an independent state agency (est. 2021) that protects Utah's 23% Upper Colorado River Basin allocation through demand management programs, water measurement infrastructure, advisory councils across 17 counties, and interstate Compact negotiations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resource Management

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (92613), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

Keywords

• Water resource management
• Interstate water policy
• Drought conservation programs
• Hydrological measurement systems
• Agricultural water efficiency

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: The Colorado River Authority of Utah is an independent state agency funded by Utah state government appropriations. The agency receives federal funding through programs like the Bureau of Reclamation's Inflation Reduction Act allocations for drought mitigation and conservation projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Colorado River Authority of Utah is an independent state agency that manages Utah's interests in the Colorado River. It delivers conservation programs (System Conservation Pilot Program, Demand Management Pilot Program), funds measurement and data infrastructure (OpenET, Utah Flux Network, AG-DRIP, UDMT), and represents Utah in interstate compact negotiations and basin-wide policy forums.

Product overview

Colorado River Authority of Utah is an independent state agency managing Utah's Colorado River water interests through a portfolio of programs. The core Management Plan guides a five-year strategy (FY23-FY27) supported by demand management pilot programs (DMPP, SCPP), water measurement and monitoring initiatives (UDMT, Metering Gap Analysis, Utah Flux Network), remote sensing data platforms (OpenET), snow survey programs (Airborne Snow Survey), agricultural optimization programs (AG-DRIP), and research studies. Advisory councils provide regional stakeholder input across geographic areas. The Authority also develops planning tools like UCRAF for drought mitigation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP) Voluntary program that compensates irrigation water users in Utah for voluntarily reducing or foregoing diversions to conserve Colorado River water during shortage conditions.
• Utah Demand Management Pilot Program State-administered pilot program engaging water districts, irrigation companies, and producers to test and scale demand-management mechanisms that reduce Utah's consumptive use of Colorado River water.
• AG-DRIP Subsurface Drip Irrigation Program Subsidy program that helps Utah agricultural producers install subsurface drip irrigation systems to reduce on-farm consumptive use and improve drought resilience.
• Agricultural Water Resiliency Study Commissioned research study evaluating options to improve the resilience of Utah agricultural producers facing reduced Colorado River water deliveries.
• Utah Diversion Measurement and Telemetry Program (UDMT) Program that funds and coordinates the installation of flow-measurement and telemetry devices at water diversions across Utah to improve basin-wide accounting of Colorado River water use.
• Metering and Gaging Gap Analysis Analytical project identifying where Utah's water measurement and gaging infrastructure is incomplete and where additional metering investments are needed to support compact accounting.
• OpenET Data Platform (Utah engagement) Authority-funded engagement with the OpenET platform, which delivers satellite-based evapotranspiration data for water managers, irrigators, and policymakers across the Colorado River Basin.
• Utah Flux Network Network of micrometeorological flux stations in Utah providing ground-truth evapotranspiration data to validate satellite measurements and inform water-use accounting.
• Airborne Snow Survey Pilot Project Pilot project that uses manned aerial surveys of mountain snowpack to improve water-supply forecasting for the Colorado River Basin in Utah.
• UCRAF Model Consumptive-use modeling framework used to estimate water depletions attributable to Utah for Colorado River accounting purposes.
• Advisory Councils Program Program convening Advisory Councils of water districts, irrigation companies, conservation districts, and tribal representatives to advise the Authority on Colorado River policy and program design.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1/3 of Utahns served with drinking water from Colorado River
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on interstate Colorado River management. UCRC coordinates water management among Upper Basin states (Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah). The Authority works with UCRC on the System Conservation Pilot Program, Drought Response Operations Agreements, and post-2026 operations criteria.
• U.S. Bureau of ReclamationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency responsible for Colorado River operations. Bureau provides funding through Inflation Reduction Act (nearly $96M to Utah projects) and collaborates on System Conservation Pilot Program, Drought Contingency Plan implementation, and Post-2026 operations criteria.
• Jacobs Engineering GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSelected through competitive procurement to support the Utah Demand Management Pilot Program with pilot program development, administrative support, project design support, and implementation support.
• Utah State University ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSU Extension administers the AG-DRIP (Agricultural Water Demonstration, Research, and Implementation Pilot Program) funded by the Authority and Central Utah Water Conservancy District. Program engages agricultural producers with water optimization practices.
• Utah Geological SurveycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUGS operates the Utah Flux Network of Eddy Covariance stations that measure field-scale evapotranspiration. Data supports Authority's measurement objectives and is used to ground-truth remote sensing data from OpenET.
• OpenET ConsortiumcoreTechnology or IntegrationConsortium of experts in remote sensing of evapotranspiration, cloud computing, water policy, and water markets. OpenET provides the Authority with transparent, reproducible measurement of consumptive water use using satellite imagery.
• Airborne Snow Observatories Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationASO Inc. provides airborne snow survey technology generating spatially complete maps of snow depth, snow water equivalent, and snow albedo for the Uinta Mountain headwaters. Funding partners include Bureau of Reclamation, Utah Division of Water Resources, and Central Utah Water Conservancy District.
• The Nature ConservancymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTNC works with the Authority on conservation initiatives. Their Utah Colorado River Project Manager participates in the Central Advisory Council. TNC is a landowner partner for Utah Flux Network stations at Dugout Ranch and provides representatives to advisory councils.
• Jones and DeMille EngineeringcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupports the Utah Diversion Measurement and Telemetry Program and Metering and Gaging Gap Analysis. Provides engineering and installation support for measurement and telemetry equipment across Upper Colorado River Basin in Utah.
• Utah Farm Bureau FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner19 members from the Farm Bureau serve on the Agriculture Advisory Council representing agricultural water users who account for 62% of Colorado River use in Utah.
• Utah Division of Water RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency responsible for water rights administration. Collaborates on Demand Management Pilot Program, provides water rights change application processing, and data for Utah Flux Network stations.
• Upper Basin States (Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtah collaborates with other Upper Basin states through the Upper Colorado River Commission on Compact compliance, drought response, water conservation, and negotiations for post-2026 operating framework.
• Lower Basin States (Arizona, California, Nevada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeven-state negotiation process for Colorado River management including post-2026 operating framework. Authority participates in interstate negotiations to protect Utah's water interests.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nevada Division of Water Resources: State agency managing Nevada's Colorado River allocation, primarily for Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas. Direct peer because it shares Lower Basin negotiation responsibilities and has analogous drought contingency planning obligations.
• California Department of Water Resources: State agency managing California's Colorado River allocation, including the largest single agricultural entitlement. Direct peer because California is the largest Lower Basin stakeholder and a primary negotiating counterpart in post-2026 framework talks.
• Arizona Department of Water Resources: State agency managing Arizona's Colorado River allocation and active management areas. Direct peer because it is the Lower Basin counterpart negotiating the post-2026 framework, and its groundwater management programs are analogous to the Authority's demand-management portfolio.
• Central Utah Water Conservancy District: Large Utah water conservancy district whose General Manager (Gene Shawcroft) chairs the Authority board. Direct peer because both organizations manage Utah's Colorado River water delivery, share funding partnerships (AG-DRIP), and have overlapping roles in agricultural and municipal water supply.
• Upper Colorado River Commission: Interstate administrative body coordinating Colorado River management among the four Upper Basin states (Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah). Direct peer because the Authority shares jurisdiction over Compact compliance, drought response, and the System Conservation Pilot Program with UCRC, and Amy Haas previously served as its Executive Director.
• Washington County Water Conservancy District: Southwestern Utah water conservancy district whose General Manager (Zach Renstrom) sits on the Authority board. Direct peer because both manage Virgin River-area Colorado River allocation, including municipal supply for one of the fastest-growing regions in the US.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau of Reclamation: Federal agency within the Department of the Interior that manages Colorado River storage and delivery infrastructure, including Glen Canyon and Hoover Dams. Broad incumbent because it operates the physical water infrastructure, funds conservation programs through IRA allocations, and is the federal counterpart in all Compact compliance discussions.

Emerging players

• The Nature Conservancy (Utah Chapter / Colorado River Program): Conservation NGO operating landowner partnerships in the basin and a Utah Colorado River Project Manager seated on the Authority's Central Advisory Council. Emerging player because it co-funds and co-implements measurement infrastructure (Utah Flux Network at Dugout Ranch) and conservation initiatives.
• Airborne Snow Observatories, Inc. NASA/JPL licensee commercializing airborne lidar-based snowpack measurement used by the Authority's Uinta Mountain snow survey program. Emerging player because it is a technology vendor rather than a managing entity, but it is a core partner in the Authority's water supply forecasting capabilities.
• OpenET Consortium: Multi-institution consortium providing satellite-based evapotranspiration measurement that the Authority integrates into its consumptive-use accounting. Emerging player because OpenET is a shared technology platform rather than a state agency, but its outputs are core to the Authority's measurement stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AuthorityUT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-river-authority-of-utah

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Colorado River Authority of Utah