Powell pipeline plan going public

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Mar 28, 2008 | by Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News

ST. GEORGE -- Details of newly filed documents outlining Utah's intent to build a massive water distribution pipeline from Lake Powell to Sand Hollow Reservoir in Washington County are going on display for public review.

Four community meetings will be held in the next two weeks by the state Division of Water Resources in an effort to update the public and dozens of private landowners whose property might be affected by the 139-mile pipeline.

"We are working with 162 various agencies, cities, Indian tribes, and about 100 private landowners in two different states," said Harold Sersland, the division's environmental coordinator for the project. "It gets to be a real paper mill."

A pre-application document and notice of intent to file an application for original license were submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

Filing of the documents starts the public review and environmental assessment phase of the $585 million project slated to transport 100,000 acre-feet of water to Kane, Washington and Iron counties by 2020.

"This is a much-needed project in southwestern Utah," said division director Dennis Strong. "Even with aggressive conservation, water shortages in southern Utah may begin as early as 2012 if we do not explore other water source options such as Lake Powell."

A pumping station at Lake Powell near Glen Canyon Dam would start the water moving on its way, with booster-pumping stations along the alignment path. Hydroelectric generating facilities also would be constructed and could help offset the cost of the project, according to the documents.

Critics of the pipeline argue against the project is too expensive and should be tabled in favor of smart growth initiatives that would limit population increases and require conservation as a way of life for residents of a desert region like Utah's Dixie.

Washington County Water Conservancy District general manager Ron Thompson said he would like to do an analysis and water supply survey on the question of whether Lake Powell would have enough water to support the pipeline.

"Obviously with the drought we are getting questions about whether the water will be there. I think it will be," Thompson said during a recent Lake Powell Pipeline Management Committee meeting in St. George. "I think I know the worst-case scenario on the Virgin River water supply system, but I don't know about Lake Powell. I need to do that (the same kind of study) on the Colorado River."

If there's not enough water in Lake Powell to sustain the pipeline, Thompson said that kind of news would be the least of the county's water worries.

"If there's not enough water there (for the pipeline), then there's not enough water here. That would be just a minor problem for us because that means the Virgin River would be dry, too," Thompson said. "We'll go through the water supply process as part of our documentation."

Taking a hard look at southern Utah's major sources of local water and population projections for the near future are an essential part of the process, said one Washington County group lobbying against the pipeline.

"A vulnerability assessment would be a good idea," said Paul Van Dam, executive director of Citizens for Dixie's Future. "This is obviously being talked about by a lot of water managers in the West, and I think it would bring a lot of comfort to a lot of people if a risk vulnerability assessment were done."

Utah is seeking FERC's approval of the project because it includes hydroelectric power plants capable of generating up to 363 megawatts of power, said Larry Anderson, project manager for the pipeline.

The state is hopeful that FERC will take the lead on the project and help move it through the licensing and permitting processes required with other federal agencies. A decision is expected from FERC within the next 60 days.

"FERC has to decide if it will permit the entire project or portions of the project," Anderson said. "They may well not do the line up to Cedar City since there's no hydroelectric power there."

Utah plans to construct and fund the pipeline through bonds issued by the Division of Water Resources. That money would be paid back to the state by the three water conservancy districts as its members purchase water from the division.

More information about the Lake Powell Pipeline project can be found at lakepowellpipeline.org

If you go . . .

Who: Utah Board of Water Resources

Why: Public information meetings about the Lake Powell pipeline project.

All meetings are 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE:

-- Monday -- Kanab City Library, multipurpose room, 374 N. Main, Kanab.

-- Wednesday -- Hurricane City Council room, 147 N. 870 W. Hurricane.

-- Wednesday -- Apple Valley Fire Station, 6802 Meadow Lark Drive, Apple Valley.

-- Thursday -- Big Water Town Hall, 5 Aaron Burr, Big Water.

E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com