Pipeline problems
Officials consider cost of new water source
Rick Gillespie
Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: News
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Last May, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed the Lake Powell Pipeline Development Act into law paving the way for a pipeline that will draw water from Lake Powell and pump it 120 miles west to Sand Hollow reservoir near St. George.
According to the project's Web site at www.lakepowellpipeline.org, the project is a joint venture that will supply water to Washington, Kane and Iron counties.
Cedar City Councilman John Westwood said Iron County has signed on to receive its share of water from the project, but several more steps must be taken before it can come to fruition, including finding a way to pay for it.
Central Iron County Water Conservancy District General Manager Scott Wilson said the pipeline will take between three and four years to build and has an estimated cost of $500 million.
Washington County has already started charging impact fees on the construction of new buildings to help cover its share of the cost of the project, Ron Thompson, manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District, said Thursday at a Cedar City Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Thompson said the fees will increase 5 percent annually for 30 years, and with Washington County growing at such a fast rate, revenue from the fees should be able to cover the county's share of the cost of the pipeline.
Westwood said Cedar City also needs to start collecting impact fees soon if Iron County is going to be able to come up with enough funding to cover its share.
However, the project is being met with skepticism from concerned citizens and environmental groups alike.
Richard Ingebretsen, president and founder of the Glen Canyon Institute, said the project is a bad idea because Lake Powell is continually draining and does not have enough water to sustain southern Utah's growing population.
Seventy-five percent of the water in the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Powell, comes from snow melt, and because of global warming we are seeing less snow every year, he said.
"Lake Powell is draining and will never fill again," he said.
As global warming causes the average temperature to rise, the area will become so arid that the water in Lake Powell will begin to disappear at a faster rate, Ingebretsen said.
"To think that there's enough water there is absolutely ridiculous," he said.
According to the project's Web site, Iron County has developed approximately 15,000 acre feet of water supply and, with current water use and population projections, the area will reach full capacity by the year 2020.
An acre foot is a measurement defined as enough water to cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot.
Wilson said on the Web site that people should not let the sight of snow on the mountains fool them into thinking there will always be enough water.
"The area's close proximity to snow-covered mountains gives people the false impression that there is plenty of water in the area, and that's just not the case," he said.
The water supply is already being strained by current growth, and unless something is done it will only get worse, he said.
"With our current population we are already stressing our aquifer, so just imagine what the situation will be like as our population continues to grow," Wilson said. "Right now we could probably use 20,000 acre feet."
The projected population of Iron County in the year 2050 is approximately 104,000, according to the project's Web site, and will require about 41,500 acre feet of water to meet the needs of the people.
Ingebretsen, who is a physician and a faculty member at the University of Utah School of Medicine, said too much of southern Utah's water supply is being wasted and conservation is something that needs to be taught.
People have the misconception that there will always be enough water and are lulling themselves into a false sense of security, he said.
He likened southern Utah's situation to one of his patients who died of a heart attack, despite feeling well, because he could not see that his eating habits were destroying him internally.
Citizens water usage habits are like his patient's eating habits and although they may feel well about the water supply now, one day the water will be gone and they will be left wondering what happened, he said.
"The people are going to have a massive heart attack from their gluttony," Ingebretsen said.
The water in Lake Powell was never intended to be the primary water supply for southern Utah, but as a back-up supply for the water in Lake Mead, he said.
Utah State Sen. Dennis Stowell, who co-chairs the Senate Natural Resources Appropriations Committee, said there are still too many unknowns for the project to be seriously considered.
"We don't even know if we can get the water rights," he said.
He added that the issue needs to be analyzed from every angle before anything is finalized.
"There's just not enough information for us to make an informed decision," he said.
Eric Millis, deputy director of the Division of Water Resources, said the project is still in the planning stages and other options are being evaluated.
The department is working with engineering and environmental consultants to find the best way to meet the area's future demand for water, he said.
Millis, like Ingebretsen, said conserving water is one of the best things citizens can do now to help the situation.
Overall, people are doing a good job conserving water, he said, and estimated citizens are using an average of 20 percent less water per capita now than in 2000.
"There is a good amount of conservation happening now," Millis said. "Conserving water is something that has to be done."
Kai Reed of Citizens for Dixie's Future, a grassroots coalition of concerned citizens in Washington County, said she feels the project is premature and should not move forward because there are still too many unanswered questions.
Despite being in the middle of the desert, St. George uses more water per person than any other city in Utah, she said.
Citizens in cities of comparable size such as Tucson, Ariz. use half as much water as citizens in St. George, and are able to do so without putting a strain on their water supply, she said.
"We need to look at how much water we are using and ask ourselves if we really need the water from Lake Powell," Reed said.
The estimated cost of the pipeline could reach as high as $1.5 billion and would cause local governments to incur unnecessary debt to be able to pay for it, she said.
The increased impact fees will also hurt efforts to keep housing in southern Utah affordable, she said.
"How realistic is it for us to go into debt for something we may not need?" she said. "We have a lot more questions than we have answers."
Wilson said other options being looked at include re-using agricultural water and finding more efficient ways to use the city's current water supply from Coal Creek, but neither will provide a long-term solution.
The Lake Powell pipeline is the only real solution that could feasibly come to pass, he said.
"This is the best alternative to secure our long-term water future," he said. "We must have Lake Powell."
Wilson said previously suggested alternatives to supply the needed water have been shot down by government red tape and protesters, who suggest placing restrictions on growth to help curb the population surge.
Trying to restrict growth in the area would be pointless because stopping people from coming here will be next to impossible, and developers will be happy to oblige them, he said.
"People think money is life," but water is life itself, he said.
Cedar City Mayor Gerald R. Sherratt said rather than trying to restrict growth, we should try to control how we grow.
There are currently six committees in place looking at the general plan for Cedar City to determine the best direction for the city to go in dealing with growth issues, he said.
"It can happen if you plan it right," he said.
It all boils down to the fact that the need for more water exists, and the Lake Powell pipeline is the way to make it happen, Wilson said.
"It's simple economics, we need water," he said.
Stowell said although the project might not be the best solution to Iron County's water concerns, it is still a possibility and should continue to be investigated.
"We should continue to pursue it, but let's continue to gather some facts and study the issues," he said.
This story has been corrected from its print version.
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