Utah Lake Water Users Association | Water Commissioner

	$60,000
	Part-Time
	Upon Hire

Supervisor: Utah State Engineer

The water users of the Utah Lake and Jordan River Distribution System are seeking applicants for the position of Water Commissioner. The Utah Lake and Jordan River Distribution System Committee selects the successful candidate who is then appointed to a four-year term by the Utah State Engineer. Annual salary of $60,000. Health insurance and retirement benefits will be provided through the State of Utah.  

Responsibilities: Coordinate and report releases from Utah Lake. Take orders for water by telephone weekly between 7:30-9 am Monday - Saturday. Coordinate any changes in releases from Utah Lake with the Utah Lake Pumping Station operators. Measure, regulate, and report diversions of water from Utah Lake and/or from the main stem of the Jordan River between Utah Lake and 7800 South in Sandy. The commissioner must enter data on a daily basis in order to provide necessary information to the water users.  The commissioner’s duties vary in intensity by season.  During the irrigation season, the commissioner’s duties include weekly visits to larger agricultural diversions to monitor, measure and record the amount of water being diverted.  Municipal and industrial diversions are typically metered and the measurements are accessible online.  The water commissioner regulates all of the diversions to conform to the water rights.  This effort will require approximately 6-8 hours per day from March through October, though additional time may be necessary to deal with unusual situations.  Deliveries along the river continue through the winter months but less time is required to control and regulate these deliveries. Prepare monthly reports for the water users. The commissioner will be directed in these activities by the State Engineer’s office. Prepare an annual report for the State Engineer and the Utah Lake and Jordan River Distribution System Committee. This annual report documents the water users’ conformance to water rights and the amount of water diverted to each water user in the Distribution system.  Field visits, accounting and reporting duties are somewhat flexible to fit the commissioner’s schedule; however the trips and the data availability must meet the needs of water regulation. Monitor and record data on Utah Lake elevation and content ownership. Water users on this system have rights to some of the water stored in Utah Lake.  The commissioner tracks and reports both the total lake contents and the volume of stored water for the primary and secondary water users. The commissioner has some supervisory responsibilities for the three deputy water commissioners working on the Utah Lake Jordan River Distribution System. Ultimately the commissioner is required to perform all duties required to regulate and control water deliveries on the Utah Lake and Jordan River System.

• Education/Experience Required:

  • • Two years of post-High School education or training.

    • Ability to use/operate a PC and work effectively with spreadsheet, word processing software at an intermediate to advanced level.

    • Ability to research and incorporate data from internet sources as part of the required reporting.

    • The State Engineer’s Office will provide any specialized training necessary. The applicant must be dependable, willing to learn and to master the aspects of the position. The job will take several years to grow into. For this reason, applicants able to commit to at least two terms (8 years) will be given the strongest consideration.

• Education/Experience Preferred:

  • • Background, training in hydrology

    • Experience with Water Rights governance and laws.

    • Knowledge of Irrigation practices, water system control, measurement methods and calculations.

    • Competence in mathematical calculations and detailed accounting.

• Transportation Required:

• • Valid Utah Driver’s License

  • The commissioner must provide his or her own vehicle and drive to and from River System facilities. The Utah Lake Water Users’ Association provides $500 / mo for travel costs associated with use of a personal vehicle on the job.

• Physical Demands Required:

• • subject to extreme heat (temperatures above 100 degrees for periods of more than one hour); subject to extreme cold (temperatures below 32 degrees for periods of more than one hour).

  • Ability to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

  • Ability to respond to emergency situations in a state of physical and mental alertness/readiness.

  • Ability to regularly walk; use hands/fingers to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk/hear.

  • Ability to frequently stand, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

  • Ability to exercise close, distant, color, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

  • The employee may be required to: climb or balance; sit and stand for periods up to one hour; hike over rough terrain carrying up to 10 pounds; work at heights over and near water; work in aqueducts and other confined spaces; work at night; climb ladders; work near moving mechanical parts; work in hazardous traffic conditions; lift weight or exert force as follows:

  • Regularly: up to 10 lbs.

  • Frequently: 11 to 25 lbs.

  • Occasionally: 26 to 50 lbs.

  • Rarely: 51 to 100+ lbs.

• Organization & Communication Preferred:

• • Ability to work with minimal supervision.

  • Ability to work cooperatively with water users and water agencies.

  • Ability to communicate at interagency meetings and to make presentations with poise and control.

  • Ability to influence people in their opinions, attitudes, or judgments; to motivate, convince, or negotiate.

  • Ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions such as in a team, supervisory, or meeting setting.

  • Ability to adapt to situations involving the interpretation of feelings, ideas, or facts in terms of personal viewpoint.

  • Ability to maintain relationships that facilitate task accomplishment; to cooperate and resolve conflicts; to recognize needs and be sensitive to others.

  • Ability to receive guidance and supervision; follow work rules, safety practices, work procedures; meet deadlines.

  • Ability to systematically identify and define problems, evaluate alternatives, and implement cost effective solutions.

  • Ability to prepare business letters, summaries, and reports; using prescribed format and conforming to all rules of pronunciation, grammar, diction, and style; using all parts of speech.

• Critical Thinking Preferred:

• • Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or other form; to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

  • Ability to adapt to situations requiring the precise attainment of set limits, tolerances, or standards; to be precise, thorough, exacting, or meticulous in regard to numerical determinations, record preparation, or inspecting.

  • Ability to perform a variety of duties, often changing from one task to another of a different nature without loss of efficiency or composure involving significant differences in technologies, techniques, procedures, environmental factors, physical demands, or work situations.

  • Ability to identify task requirements and monitor progress toward accomplishment.