Lake Powell Pipeline Update
Conservation plays an essential role in meeting Southern Utah’s water supply needs.

Below are some commonly asked questions about water conservation, need for the Lake Powell Pipeline (LPP) and whether the project would be needed if conservation was increased.
1. Can we conserve our way out of needing the LPP?
One of the most important reasons southern Utah needs the LPP is to diversify its water supply, and that is something conservation cannot accomplish. Most of southern Utah is dependent on a single water source of variable quality and quantity — the Virgin River basin. 

The LPP introduces a second, more reliable, water source to the area and more than doubles Washington County’s current supply. Meeting southern Utah’s future water needs requires a comprehensive plan including more conservation and reuse, development of local supplies, free market agricultural transfers and bringing a new source of water through the LPP. The chart below outlines the role conservation and the LPP will play in meeting future demand.
2. Would it be easier and cheaper to just conserve more water than build an expensive pipeline?
Costs of implementing extreme conservation are more expensive and environmentally impacting than a balanced approach to meeting water demands. Conservation costs include lawn and landscape removal, replacement hardscapes, ordinance enforcement and buying alternative water supplies and building the infrastructure needed to treat and deliver the water.

Significant environmental impacts would also result from extreme measures including increased temperatures creating the “heat island” effect due to loss of vegetation, water quality degradation due to increase storm water runoff, increased flooding, and adverse impacts on wildlife. Socioeconomic impacts include diminished park and recreational areas and potential loss of tourism.

The Water Needs Assessment: Water Use and Conservation Updated recently submitted to the Federal Environmental Regulatory Commission evaluates and quantifies extreme conservation measures. Read more. 
3. Are southern Utah's conservation measures lagging behind other cities?
Washington County Water Conservancy District’s (WCWCD) water conservation program was recently audited by a third-party nationally recognized water conservation expert, Maddaus Water Management. Maddaus concluded that the WCWCD conservation program is “on par with other notable programs in the western United States and exceeds those of other entities of a similar size and customer base.”

In its report, WCWCD Water Conservation Programs: A Comparative Evaluation , Maddaus reviewed WCWCD’s current water conservation programs and compared those programs to national and international best practices and leading peers.

According to Maddaus, WCWCD’s effective water conservation program compares favorably with other western water agencies with vigorous conservation programs. Maddaus concluded that WCWCD’s program budget, spending and staffing efforts equal or exceed those of several other similarly situated water agencies. In fact, Maddaus found that WCWCD employs two-thirds of the 36 most common practices among study participants.
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Lake Powell Pipeline
801-583-7230

533 E. Waterworks Dr.
St. George, UT 84770

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