Lehi is crying foul over a Saratoga Springs proposal to take more water from wells in Lehi.

The water table in southwest Lehi is 18 feet lower than it was 10 years ago, and city leaders say the problem may have more to do with Saratoga Springs's increasing demand for water from that aquifer here than a recent drought.

Water levels started falling after development began in Saratoga Springs, said Lehi City engineer Lorin Powell in a recent meeting of the City Council.

"The only people really pumping it is Saratoga Springs," he said of that section of the aquifer.

Ken Leetham, Saratoga Springs city manager, disputes his city has anything to do with the lower level of the underground water table. He said Saratoga Springs wasn't pumping water from east of the Jordan River 10 years ago.

"I don't think those wells have any thing to do with surface water tables at all," Leetham said. "We haven't had any wells until about a year-and-a-half ago in the area that (Powell) is talking about."

Saratoga Springs has asked for state permission to move water rights from the Jordan River and Utah Lake to wells east and west of the Jordan River. Powell represented Lehi in protesting the Saratoga Springs proposal during a state hearing in late January.

Saratoga Springs has seven well sites east of the Jordan River -- two within Lehi city limits, one on the edge of the cities' shared boundary and four within Saratoga Springs city limits. Three are active wells.

Leetham said the city needs the wells east of the Jordan River for drinking water because water from wells on the west side of the river doesn't meet state standards. The westside wells are being used for the city's new secondary water irrigation system.

"There is plenty of water for both cities in the area," Leetham said. "These wells are 600 to 1,000 feet deep and have plenty of water."

Powell said measurements taken around Lehi show that all water tables have recovered from the seven-year drought, except those in the southwest quadrant.

"That says there is a real problem and it's not recovering," Powell said.

Lehi has more than 35 well sites in the same area, a quadrant from 400 North in Lehi south to Utah Lake and west to the Jordan River east to 400 East in Lehi.

"We want to be good neighbors, but it's affecting what we view as a critical resource," said Jamie Davidson, Lehi city administrator.

Leetham said his city doesn't want to interfere or negatively impact Lehi. The state is doing an independent study of north Utah County groundwater resources that could be completed this spring.

"I think the results of that study will help both communities feel better," Leetham said.

While water rights are irrefutable, where they are used must be approved by the state, said Dana Dredge of the Utah State Division of Water Rights. Saratoga Springs's proposal is still in review and the state engineer's office is waiting for the recommendation of the state regional office.

"They do (have the water rights) but maybe not at this location," Dredge said. "If they reject the change, the water rights will go back where they were before."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.