Governor Gary Herbert has appointed a team of 37 water district managers, environmentalists, legislators and others to create a long-term strategy for water use and conservation in Utah. The announcement came during a water summit meeting held today at Utah Valley University.
Governor Gary Herbert asked for a report based on a series of public listening sessions conducted around the state. The need for conserving Utah’s water resources came up over and over again in those meetings.
TageFlint, the director of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, says younger Utahns are receptive to a conservation message.
“I look at my children and they grew up with much more environmental consciousness than my generation did," Flint told the group. "And I think some of this is going to take place as they apply their ethic to their use of water going forward. So I think there’s a lot of promise there."
Some attending the meetings voiced strong opposition to projects such as the Lake Powell pipeline and pumping water from the Great Basin to Las Vegas. There were also many calls for reform of Utah’s current law on access to streams for fishing and recreation.