Utah will soon have water judges. This is what they’ll do and why it matters.
For the last 25 years that Scott Martin has been practicing water law in Utah, the concept of appointing water judges or creating a water court has been a topic of conversation many times. … But as the finite resource becomes more scarce, the conversation of appointing water judges in Utah has turned into a reality. A new rule passed by the Utah Judicial Council that goes into effect on Nov. 1 will establish at least three district court water judges throughout the state. The district court judges will volunteer to be a water judge and then be approved by the Judicial Council.