Opinion ID: 2638546
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: ¶ 1 Plaintiff Green River Canal Company (GRCC) and Defendant Lee Thayn (Thayn) both own and operate irrigation canals in Green River, Utah. GRCC alleges that Thayn breached agreements made by the parties in 1952 to govern their shared use of certain water diversion facilities owned by Green River when Thayn built and began operating a small hydroelectric power generation facility that used water in excess of the amounts mentioned in the 1952 agreements. The trial court ruled in favor of GRCC, holding that the 1952 agreements are determinative as to both the amount of water each party is entitled to divert through the facilities and the uses to which that water is put. The principal issue before us is whether the 1952 agreements impose a fixed limitation on the amount the parties are entitled to divert through the facilities, or whether the agreement merely describes the parties' 1952 water rights and does not preclude a change in the amount of water diverted through the facilities or a change in the water's use.