Golf-Crazy St. George Area Already Sucks Up More Water Per Person than Other Desert Cities
Federal regulators are looking at whether water-guzzling Washington County in southwest Utah should get water from Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, to keep their lawns and golf courses green.
A proposed 140-mile-long pipeline would take nearly 77 million gallons a day from Lake Powell, the Colorado River reservoir created by the giant Glen Canyon Dam near the Arizona-Utah border. The project requires pushing the water about 2,000 feet uphill over 50 miles before sending it about 90 miles downhill through a series of hydroelectric turbines to the St. George area. The pipeline could cost $1.1 billion to $1.8 billion, but state regulators have also said the numbers are uncertain.
“The truth behind the Lake Powell pipeline is that it is a water grab from the Colorado River by firms and agencies in Utah to convince Utahns that we are running out of water,” said Zach Frankel, executive director of Utah Rivers Council. “We’re not.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could look at the part of the application from the Utah Board of Water Resources dealing with the hydroelectric stations. Other federal agencies such as the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management could evaluate other parts of the application.
The Colorado River provides drinking water to about 40 million people across seven states. Global warming is already shrinking the Colorado River and could reduce the flow by more than a third by the end of the century.
ACTION BOX/What You Can Do About It
Tell FERC online your thoughts about draining our nation’s Colorado River for Utah’s Washington County. You can also send your comments to Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20426. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-12966-004.
Contact the FERC commissioners. Chairman Neil Chatterjee is at 202-502-8852. Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur is 202-502-8961. Commissioner Robert Powelson is at 202-502-6481. Commissioner Richard Glick is at 202-502-6530. You can also write the commissioners at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St. NE, Washington D.C, 20426.
Utah Rivers Council can be reached at 801-486-4776 or at [email protected]
“It’s much more reasonable and much less expensive to implement serious water conservation measures and to implement water rate changes,” said Lisa Rutherford, a member of the environmental group Conserve Southwest Utah.
Utah regulators have said the average Washington County resident uses 325 gallons a day, 120 gallons a day more than the average in Las Vegas and nearly double what a person in Phoenix uses. Up to 70% of St. George area water is used on lawns, golf courses, parks and cemeteries.
According to the Utah Rivers Council, Utah has the nation’s cheapest water rates and is the country’s most wasteful water user. The state has a unique revenue structure that collects property taxes from homeowners and businesses to lower the price of water below the cost of delivery. Critics say the tax structure discourages water conservation.
Recent audits have also found major problems with how Utah tracks water usage. Many water systems don’t monitor “peak day demand” which helps determine how much water a public system should have on hand.
Water managers have been planning to have Utah pay for the pipeline and have Washington County and Kane County, which would get about 5% of the water, repay the cost.
The pipeline could cause water rates in Washington County to triple. The Washington County Water Conservancy District has already started to raise fees and water rates to pay for new water projects, including the pipeline.
Featured Photo: Southwest Utah’s St. George area is a retirement and second-home haven. The desert region boasts more than a dozen major golf courses.