The Water Use Options Team (WUOT) was created in response to a request from Tribal Council to the Water Resources Division (WRD) to be proactive in the development of the Tribe’s unused water rights.  The goal of the WUOT is, “To assist and advise the WRD in the exploration and analysis of available markets and options for the Tribe’s unused federal reserved water rights.” 

The WUOT consists of four tribal member representatives who are selected by Tribal Council, and tribal staff that include the Department of Natural Resources Director and staff from Water Resources and Legal. The team may also include representatives from other tribal departments such as Economic Development, Cultural Preservation, Finance, GIS, Agriculture, Utilities, etc. 

Since 2022, the WUOT has met 11 times. Many of the early meetings were educational meetings regarding the Tribe’s water rights and tours of local water infrastructure to help the group better understand the Tribe’s complex water rights and water resources. The group is currently working on developing a process to evaluate if potential water development opportunities align with the Tribe’s unique water rights portfolio. The intent of this process is to assess if water development opportunities are compatible with the Tribe’s water rights and to determine their feasibility, so an informed recommendation on those opportunities can be provided to the Tribal Council. Currently, the WUOT has a working draft of the evaluation process and is refining it by working through mock water development scenarios in order to ensure the final process is effective and beneficial. 

Recently, one of the tribal member representatives for the WUOT has resigned, and the WRD is seeking interested candidates for the WUOT. Interested applicants must be 18 years old and be an enrolled member of the Southern Ute Tribe. Tribal members with water resources knowledge and/or experience are preferred. WUOT members will serve at least one year with the possibility of continuing past one year.  Members will be compensated for meeting attendance at the current rate of pay ($20/hour) and will require at most approximately four to six hours per month.  Please submit all letters of interest via email to pnylan@southernute-nsn.gov or mail them to Water Resources Division, ATTN: Water Use Options Team, P.O. Box 737 #63, Ignacio by February 27, 2026.  All qualified applicants will be presented to Tribal Council for their consideration and WUOT member selection.  Please contact Pete Nylander, 970-563-2931 with any questions.