URC Files Protest Against Water Rights for the Lake Powell Pipeline
The Utah Rivers Council submitted a 60-page protest against the water rights application for the Lake Powell Pipeline. The Utah Division of Water Resources filed an application for the water rights for the Pipeline in April with the Utah State Engineer, in attempt to secure a claim on this Colorado River water.
Our protest asks the State Engineer to reject the water rights application, focusing specifically on the Pipeline’s substantial threat to public welfare. The protest also outlines the scores of climate change studies which document that the water rights in question don’t exist. Due to rising air temperatures that have led to withering snowpacks and river flows across the 7-state Colorado River Basin, water will not be available for the pipeline.
Our protest documents the Division of Water Resources’ abject failure to provide any semblance of a plan to repay the $3 billion in debt from this boondoggle. Our arguments call into question the ethical veracity of wasting billions in taxpayer dollars during a struggling pandemic economy. We also summarized the injurious impact this project will have on low income Utahns from at least a 500% increase in water rates needed to pay for this unnecessary pipeline.
As part of our protest, we requested a public hearing to present our concerns in person and will keep you informed about opportunities for you participate in the hearing as we get them. We will continue to fight tooth and nail against the largest new diversion on the Colorado River.