STEVEN E CLYDE portrait
  • Adjunct Professor, College Of Law - Dean
  • Adjunct Professor, College Of Law
801-322-2516

Education

  • Bachelor of Science, Political Science, University of Utah
  • Juris Doctor, College of Law, University of Utah

Biography

 

Throughout his career, Mr. Clyde has specialized in natural resources law, including oil and gas, public land law, and mining law, with a primary emphasis in water law.

 

Mr. Clyde has represented many clients in the buying and selling of water rights and in the conversion of water rights from agricultural irrigation use to domestic, municipal, and industrial use for development of real property, particularly in the resort areas of Summit County, Utah. He has represented parties in the negotiations of a Lease of Power Privilege on Bureau of Reclamation Facilities for the Central Utah Project and in the negotiation of power sales contracts from the hydroelectric facilities constructed under the lease. Mr. Clyde is general counsel to the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, the sponsor of the Central Utah Project, and is knowledgeable regarding federal reclamation law. Real estate development projects for which he handled the water rights acquisition and conversion include the Jeremy Ranch, Park Meadows Golf Course and Development, Glenwild Golf Resort, Ranch Place, Landmark Plaza, Mountain Regional Water Special Service District, Summit Park Special Service District, Park City Mountain Resort, Snowbasin Ski Resort, Brian Head Ski Resort, and many others.

 

Mr. Clyde has represented many individuals and entities before the State Engineer of the State of Utah, both as applicants and as protestants to water rights applications, and has litigated water rights appeals in Utah state and federal courts, and the Utah Supreme Court. He also has experience in local government law and has represented many clients in planning and zoning activities before city and county planning and zoning authorities, drafted a water concurrency ordinance for Summit County, Utah, and created local special districts to provide water and sewer service within and without incorporated municipalities.

 

Mr. Clyde has served on the Utah Legislature’s Water Task Force and on the Executive’s Water Task Force since 2007 to revise Utah’s water laws. He is also a registered lobbyist for Central Utah Water Conservancy District.  Additionally, Mr. Clyde is a contributing editor to Western Water Law & Policy Reporter, a nationally published water law periodical, and a contributing author to the water law treatise Water and Water Rights. He served as an adjunct faculty member of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah teaching water law in the years 2001-2004 and 2007-2009. He has published several articles and frequently lectures at CLE conferences on topics related to Western water law.