Cost estimates for the Lake Powell Pipeline’s construction; interest during construction; present value of annual operation, maintenance, replacement and power; and estimated total project costs are reported in table 3.20-9 on page 242 of the draft Environmental Impact Statement published on Monday, June 8, 2020. Costs are comparable to prior estimates.
St. George, UT – After decades of study, the Lake Powell Pipeline has reached a critical milestone – the Bureau of Reclamation has issued the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and opened a public comment period. The Southern Alternative has been named the “preferred alternative.” (more…)
Is it time to turn the sprinklers on? Check the Utah Division of Water Resources’ Weekly Lawn Watering Guide and find out. The guide is posted every Friday on the division’s Facebook page and website during the irrigation season to help Utahns target water needs in each county. (more…)
As one of the seven states that make up the Colorado River Basin, Utah takes an active interest in this critically important river that provides water to 40 million people and 5 million acres of farmland. For the past three years, the Utah Division of Water Resources has partnered with the other basin states to form a workgroup to support climate and hydrology studies and centralize them to help guide management and planning efforts for the Colorado River. (more…)
The Water For Utah overview provides a quick snapshot of the work the Division of Water Resources is doing to “plan, conserve, develop and protect” Utah’s water, as well as the role the Board of Water Resources plays. This information was presented to the Utah Legislature on Feb. 10. Over the past 70 years, the Board has provided financial assistance to over 1,485 private water companies, irrigation companies, municipalities and water districts.
Todd D. Adams has been appointed to head the Utah Division of Water Resources. Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Brian Steed selected Adams to replace Eric Millis who retired after nearly 32 years with the division, six of those as the director.
Adams started his career with the division in 1990 after graduating from Utah State University with both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in civil engineering. He has served as the division’s deputy director since 2013. Before being promoted to deputy director, he was the assistant director since 2006. (more…)
After serving as director of the Utah Division of Water Resources for the past six years, Eric Millis will retire from public service Dec. 16. Millis has spent nearly 32 years with the division working on a variety of projects that support the division’s mission to “plan, conserve, develop and protect Utah’s water resources.” (more…)
After reviewing and incorporating over 330 public comments, the Utah Division of Water Resources has finalized regional water conservation goals. Goals were established for nine regions around the state for municipal and industrial (M&I) water conservation. M&I includes residential, commercial, institutional (for example, schools and parks), and industrial water use, and excludes agriculture, mining and power generation.
“We appreciate all those who took the time to review the goals and share their opinions,” said Division of Water Resources Director Eric Millis. “There were some insightful comments, which were incorporated into the report. There is always value in soliciting public input.”
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The latest study regarding the Bear River Development (BRD) project has been released by the Utah Division of Water Resources and includes 13 potential reservoir combinations and pipeline alignments, as well as updated costs. At full development, the project will deliver 220,000 acre-feet of water per year to Utahns in Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Salt Lake and Weber counties. (more…)
On Oct. 28, the U.S. Department of the Interior notified the Utah Board of Water Resources (board) that it has assigned the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to lead the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance for the Lake Powell Pipeline (LPP) project.
In September 2019, the board announced it eliminated two reservoirs proposed to generate hydropower at times of peak demand. As a result, the licensing requirements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission no longer applied to the project and the board withdrew the FERC license application. The board subsequently requested that the Department of the Interior appoint Reclamation as the lead federal agency for purposes of completing the NEPA review.
“The division looks forward to working with Reclamation on updating the timeline and cost estimate for the project and completing the Environmental Impact Statement,” said Eric Millis, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources.
The LPP is an approximately 140-mile pipeline that will diversify and enhance water resources for Utah’s fastest growing and driest region by using a small portion of the state’s available Colorado River water right. Visit LPPUtah.org for more information.