The careful keeping of Utah’s pioneer-era water rights.
A Utah-based firm offering free written assessments, cash acquisitions, and long-term stewardship of senior rights dating to the territorial and early statehood era. Utah-only disposition by standing covenant.
Founded by Tristian C. Schmidt — seventh-generation Utahn, descendant of the Martin Handcart Company (1856).
Request a Free Written AssessmentFree Written Assessment
Delivered within ten business days at our expense. States your right’s status, value range, and defense cost in plain language. Yours to keep regardless of what you decide next.
Utah-Only Disposition
By standing covenant, no acre-foot acquired by the firm is ever sold, leased, or transferred to any party outside the State of Utah. Recorded in the deed of every acquisition.
Stated-Math Offers
Every cash offer shows the fully-defended value range, the defense cost, and the margin retained by the firm. The offer is below fully-defended value, and we say so.
Utah water belongs to Utahns.
Most water rights firms operate as intermediaries to whichever buyer pays the most. We do not. The constraint under which Old Mountain Commons Covenant was founded, and the constraint to which the firm is bound in every transaction, is this:
“We will not sell, lease, or transfer a single acre-foot of acquired water to any party outside the State of Utah.”
Water rights acquired by Old Mountain Commons Covenant are held in stewardship for resale or transfer only to other Utahns — preferably to families with multi-generational ties to the basin from which the right originates. The covenant is recorded in the deed.
— Tristian C. Schmidt, Founder
Your alternatives, stated plainly.
Before you consider any of our three services, you have legitimate alternatives that do not involve Old Mountain Commons Covenant at all. We list them on every letter we mail and on this page, because a well-informed owner is the only owner with whom we want to do business.
Retain a Utah water rights attorney
The Utah State Bar Lawyer Referral Service maintains a list of practitioners who specialize in water adjudication. Defense fees through final decree typically range from $5,000 to $25,000 over two to five years.
Contact USU Rural Online Initiative
Utah State University Extension provides low-cost guidance to rural water rights holders at extension.usu.edu.
Contact Utah Legal Services
If you qualify for income-based legal assistance, Utah Legal Services can help with adjudication matters at no or reduced cost.
List with an established Utah water broker
If your right is well documented and the adjudication timeline allows, listing on the open market may yield a higher gross price. The trade-offs are time and the carry cost of ongoing defense.
Tell us about the right.
If you appear in the public records of the Utah Division of Water Rights as the owner of a senior right, or if you have inherited or come into possession of one, the assessment is free and yours to keep. There is no obligation, and your information is not shared.
We do not sell, rent, or share your information. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.