Water levels in the Colorado River are at their lowest, resulting in a first-ever shortage declaration. Yet, Utah state and Washington County officials are pushing forward on a $1.8 billion water pipeline.
The proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, a 140-mile diversion, would pump 86,000 acre-feet, or 28 billion gallons, from Lake Powell through parts of Arizona to southwestern Utah to meet the needs of St. George and a rapidly growing Washington County.
The project is not without controversy. Other Colorado River Basin states have asked to halt the project, a Tribe is suing over water rights and there are calls to use water more efficiently in Washington County.
Utah officials argue the state has not used its full allocation of water granted under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, and the drought underscores the need for water infrastructure.
At a recent virtual open house with state water officials hosted by the Utah Division of Water Resources, officials stated unless a secondary source of water is found, it was estimated Washington County has 10 years before demand outstrips the available water supply. The county’s current primary source for water is the Virgin River, which has been subjected to low water flow due to the drought.
Karry Rathje, Washington County Water Conservancy District’s (WCWD) communications manager, told the St. George News the Lake Powell Pipeline will “significantly enhance the available water supply.” While they secure water sources, “The most important thing for our residents to remember is that we do have a limited water resource.”
Zach Renstrom, general manager for WCWD, echoed this sentiment, telling Bill Whitaker on 60 Minutes, “We want to make sure that we have water for our future, for a hotter, dryer scenario that’s coming up.” In the interim, they are “in the process of implementing really strict conservation measures.”
Renstrom told E&E News the county has reduced water consumption by 30 percent per capita by implementing water-saving measures such as smart landscaping meters, rebates for low-flow toilets and programs to encourage drought-resistant landscaping.
However, a report titled Local Waters Alternative 2.0, written by the environmental group Western Resource Advocates and produced in partnership with American Rivers, states residents in Washington County use an average of 302 gallons per person per day, more than twice the national average of 138 gallons per person per day and higher than other cities in the Southwest such as Las Vegas (203 gallons), Tucson (122 gallons) and Phoenix (111 gallons).
The report argues that instead of building the pipeline, WCWD could rely on the Virgin River and other local sources to deliver up to 120,000 acre-feet a year to meet the district’s needs. It recommends a 1 percent increase in efficiency per year, storing excess water from the Virgin River in wet years, expanding capability for wastewater reuse, capping secondary water at current levels and exploring and expanding aquifer storage.
Western Resource Advocates stated the report shows a local supply option is more resilient than the costly Lake Powell Pipeline and is a locally controlled approach for providing water into the future.
“A local water supply option with the recommended water demand management measures offers significant advantages to Washington County water users and advantages that have been ignored as plans for the Lake Powell Pipeline are promoted,” the report states.
“There are substantial financial, legal, and political risks associated with the Lake Powell Pipeline. The local supply option significantly alleviates these issues.”
WCWD, in a rebuttal in 2019, said the local water proposal is flawed and fails to secure a secondary water source through 2060 and beyond.
“The community would face the real prospect of water shortages should the objectives identified in the commenters’ speculative proposals not be achieved or if there is unexpected system infrastructure failure,” the rebuttal states.
“Negative environmental and socioeconomic consequences of such a proposal include the loss of green space, loss of return flow to the river, loss or impairment of the agricultural economy, and loss of local customs and culture.”
Objections
The Lake Powell Pipeline has changed in scope since it was first proposed. Originally, the pipeline called for hydropower generation but was nixed when Utah revised the plan in 2019.
Under the Bureau of Reclamation, a draft environmental impact statement was issued, and the plan was fast-tracked for approval.
The other Colorado River Basin states sent a letter to former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, asking him to “refrain” from issuing a final environmental impact statement or record of decision “until such time as the seven basin states and the Department of the Interior are able to reach consensus regarding outstanding legal and operational concerns raised by the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline project.”
The letter also raises concerns the project will divert water from the Upper Basin to a county in the Lower Basin, raising questions under the Colorado River Compact.
In 2018, the Ute Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation sued the state of Utah, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and the Bureau of Reclamation concerning its water rights. The suit was partially dismissed in the D.C. District Court and transferred the Tribe’s remaining claims to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.
A press release from the Tribe stated it is “disappointed that issues so critical to the health, well-being, and economic sustainability of the tribe were treated in such a cursory manner.”
The Tribe says it will continue to litigate its claims to their water rights to get the federal government to fulfill its responsibility to assist the Tribe in obtaining much-needed water storage infrastructure.
The Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians has also raised concerns about the pipeline’s proposed routes. One route would take the pipeline just outside the reservation but through their traditional territory. A second proposed route would cut through the Tribe’s reservation but would be built on an existing highway right of way.
Eric Kuhn, former general manager of the Colorado River District, told E&E News the pipeline is a “complicated game” as basin states begin to negotiate new river operations.
“These large municipal districts are lining up their strategy to make sure as the river continues to diminish because of climate change, they have access to the most senior rights—and those senior rights are agriculture. If you have the pipelines and canals in place, you’re in good shape,” Kuhn said.
Renstrom said that agricultural transfers might be part of the county’s future. But he pushed back on the notion that it will pursue “buy and dry” policies that put farmers out of business.
Whitaker asked Renstrom about siphoning off water from Lake Powell that is at a critically low level, to which Renstrom responded, “Every state on the Colorado River was allotted so much water and a water budget. And so with their water budget, the state of Utah has decided that it wants to use a portion of its water here in St. George.” — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
