Bonneville Unit

The largest unit of the CUP, the Bonneville Unit collects and distributes water in both the Uintah Basin of eastern Utah, and the Bonneville Basin of central Utah.  The Bonneville Unit provides water for irrigation and municipal and industrial uses.  In addition, Bonneville Unit systems provide water for maintenance of aquatic habitats in natural streams, open water recreation, and flood control.  For purposes of planning and construction the Bonneville Unit itself was divided into component systems. Working together, the systems develop, store, and transport water resources for the benefit of the people of Utah.

Several systems of the Bonneville Unit are complete and functioning. The Utah Lake Water Delivery System, the "final link" needed to complete the CUP, is under active construction and is scheduled for completion in 2026. 

Bonneville Unit Systems include:

• Starvation Collection System: The Starvation Collection System consists of the 167,000 acre-foot capacity Starvation Reservoir on the Strawberry River about three miles upstream from the town of Duchesne, Utah. Storage water is used for the late season irrigation of about 26,000 acres of land along the Duchesne River and to replace water diverted by the Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System to the Bonneville Basin. The system was completed in 1970. 
• Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System: The Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System (SACS) crosses the south flank of the Uintah Mountains, collecting flows from Rock Creek and eight other tributaries of the Duchesne River for delivery to the 1,106,500 acre-feet Strawberry Reservoir. SACS is the main collection system of the Bonneville Unit that diverts Colorado River basin water for use in Utah under the Colorado River Compact of 1922. Construction on the system began with enlargement of the original Strawberry Reservoir in 1973 and proceeded through about 1987 with completion of Upper Stillwater Reservoir. Interconnecting tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts were also constructed during this time. 
• Diamond Fork System: The Diamond Fork System conveys about 101,900 acre-feet of CUP water annually from Strawberry Reservoir to the Bonneville Basin in central Utah. The system tunnels, siphons and pipelines descend 2,600 feet through the Wasatch Mountains from Strawberry Reservoir. A portion of these flows will be delivered directly to Utah Lake to maintain senior water rights. The Diamond Fork System was completed with construction of the final tunnels and pipelines in 2005. 
• Utah Lake Drainage Basin Water Delivery System: The Utah Lake Water Delivery System receives water from the Diamond Fork System and distributes it to Wasatch Front cities, including Salt Lake City to the north and south Utah County cities, via a system of underground pipelines. Additional water will be delivered to Utah Lake on an exchange basis to maintain senior water rights. Construction on the first pipelines began in 2006 and will continue through 2026. 
• Municipal and Industrial System: The Municipal and Industrial System, develops water on the Provo River by means of the 320,300 acre-foot Jordanelle Reservoir. This water is delivered for municipal and industrial purposes in northern Utah and Salt Lake Counties by the Jordan and Alpine Aqueducts. While construction of the M&I system was completed about 1996, completion of the Utah Lake Water Delivery System is required in order to deliver exchange water to Utah Lake before the full capacity of the M&I System can be realized. 
• Wasatch County Water Efficiency/Daniels Replacement Project: The Wasatch County Water Efficiency/Daniels Replacement Project (WCWEP) is a new feature/system of the Bonneville Unit. This project improves irrigation efficiency in the Heber Valley, Wasatch County, Utah, by replacing flood irrigation with pressurized sprinkler irrigation. In addition, the project provides an alternative source of water for the local Daniel Irrigation Company via a replacement pipeline. This replacement water source allowed the termination of a trans-mountain diversion of water from the upper Strawberry River as an important environmental impact mitigation measure. Throughout the valley, significant water losses were reduced as aged canals were lined or replaced with buried pipe. 
• Uintah Basin Replacement Project: The Unitah Basin Replacement Project (UBRP) is another new component of the Bonneville Unit, authorized by the CUPCA of 1992. The UBRP develops additional water for irrigation and municipal purposes in the Uintah Basin of eastern Utah. The main feature of the system is the enlargement of privately-owned Big Sand Wash Reservoir in Duchesne County, Utah to hold irrigation water formerly developed in mountain lakes in the High Uintas Wilderness. A municipal water pipeline from Big Sand Wash Reservoir delivers drinking water to the town of Roosevelt, Utah. Construction of the enlarged reservoir was completed in 2007 and the municipal water pipeline is scheduled for completion in 2010.