On Aug. 20, the Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General released an audit that found the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) can generate sufficient revenue to repay the state for the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. (View WCWCD’s press release.) 

The Utah Board of Water Resources and the Division of Water Resources appreciates the time and detail the legislative auditors gave to this report, and we are pleased with the audit’s findings. 

In 2006, the Legislature tasked the Board of Water Resources with developing the Lake Powell Pipeline, a water delivery project that will provide water to 13 communities in southern Utah. A second water source is needed to serve residents in southern Utah. Currently, they depend on a single water source, the Virgin River. The LPP will diversify the region’s water source and build more resiliency and reliability into the region’s water system.

The project consists of approximately 140 miles of underground pipeline, five pump stations and six hydroelectric generation facilities. The LPP is part of a comprehensive, long-term water supply plan for southern Utah that includes new resource development and increased water conservation. 

Project cost estimates range between $1.1 to $1.8 billion. The project is currently in the preliminary stages, which includes the environmental permitting process. The state will fine-tune the cost estimate once the environmental studies are complete, and alignment and design are determined. For more information, visit LPPUtah.org.

For more information, please contact Kim Wells, public information officer, at 801-803-0336 or email kimwells@utah.gov.