- Download the fact sheet (.pdf)
- Download the full alternative that was submitted to the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) (.pdf)
Map shows the proposed pipeline
Lake Powell Pipeline News
- My view: Population projections cripple the case for the Lake Powell Pipeline
- Critics slam Lake Powell Pipeline funding
- Lake Powell Pipeline Could Quadruple Water Cost U. Economists Say (WATCH)
- "The Lake Powell Pipeline is just a billion-dollar waterslide," said Amelia Nuding, Water/Energy Analyst at Western Resource Advocates. “Southwest Utah already has enough water for decades to come - they just need smarter planning."
Acre-Feet Per Year(AFY)
AFY is a common form of measurement for water providers. Depending on usage rates, 1 AFY can meet the needs of 2-4 households per year.
Lake Powell
Lake Powell Pipeline
The Pipeline would deliver 69,000 acre-feet of water from Lake Powell - a reservoir on the Colorado River - across 139 miles to Washington County, Utah.
The Local Waters Alternative to the Lake Powell Pipeline
The Local Waters Alternative is a solution to meet the future water needs of Washington County, Utah, by relying on local water supplies such as water conservation, water reuse and agricultural water transfers. It demonstrates that the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, a project that would pump water from Lake Powell to Washington County, is unnecessary. Western Resource Advocates submitted this Local Waters Alternative to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), who is the permitting agency for the Lake Powell Pipeline Project.
- The amount of water saved through conservation under the Local Waters Alternative amounts to 42,500 acre feet per year by 2060 - more than 60 percent of what the Pipeline is proposed to deliver.
- Local supplies like reused water and agricultural water transfers will help meet Washington County's water needs through 2060 and beyond.
- The Local Waters Alternative could be implemented for as little as one-third of the cost of the Pipeline.
- If the water district increased its annual water conservation rate to 1 percent per year - an amount common to many water providers in the West - it could save more than 36,000 acre-feet of water per year (enough for 72,000 families).
- The 139-mile pipeline would cost Utah taxpayers over $1 billion.
Research
Fact Sheet
- Download the fact sheet (.pdf)
- Download the full alternative that was submitted to the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) (.pdf)
Figures
Click to view a larger version of the graph. Washington County's current average system-wide potable water use (241 gpcd) is among the highest of 30 communities in the West. These rates of water use are measured in gallons per capita per day (GPCD) and represent potable water used across the residential, commercial, institutional and industrial sector.