Lake Powell Pipeline

Washington County is running out of water to support its rapid growth. But a new plan charts a path for reusing and conserving enough water to get by for the next 20 years.

As southwest Utah looks toward a future of continued growth, it’s betting big on reusing the water it already has. That’s why St. George is building a new reservoir to hold more recycled wastewater.

Nearly two decades ago, state lawmakers gave their support to a pipeline from the Colorado River to help with growth in Southern Utah’s Washington County. But now, the federal government says it’s time to use less water — not more.

The proposed policies from Sen. Nate Blouin and Rep. Joel Briscoe are backed by water conservation advocacy groups.

Only 27% of the water used in Utah comes from the Colorado River, with the majority of the state’s water supply coming from other rivers that feed into the Great Salt Lake.

While some will have to make historic cuts, Utah leaders are still “fighting aggressively” for the state’s allocation of Colorado River water.

The conservancy district said they need to explore additional sources of water, as the population in Washington County rapidly grows.

A massive new infrastructure bill is slowly moving its way through Congress this summer. But a coalition of elected officials, farmers, conservationists and tribal leaders want to make sure it doesn’t include new big pipelines or dams along the parched Colorado River.

Colorado River usage is a hot topic right now, and scholars recently discussed how John Wesley Powell, an explorer who chartered the region, would think about it.

The Cove Reservoir in Kane County is planned to be for agricultural use. But environmental groups say where the water will be used isn’t agricultural.

It may be an understatement to say a lot happened in Utah in 2020, both on and off the Wasatch Front. KUER southern news bureau reporters Kate Groetzinger, based in Bluff, and Lexi Peery, based in St. George, spoke with All Things Considered host Caroline Ballard about some of the biggest stories they covered in 2020.

Latest Utah news from Friday evening, September 4, 2020