Water in Washington County: Past, Present, and Future

1. Water in Washington County: Past, Present, and Future Corey Cram, P.G. Associate General Manager Water for Today and Tomorrow™

2. Today’s Presentation • What is the Water District • Historical Water Development in Washington County • Water Use, Demand, and Conservation • Current Projects • Lake Powell Pipeline Water for Today and Tomorrow™

3. What is the Water Conservancy District? • The Water Conservancy District was created after an overwhelming majority of the residents and property owners petitioned for its formation. • The Washington County Water District was organized by the Fifth District Court in 1962 as a regional water supply agency. • The District is primarily a wholesaler of water to cities. • The District is committed to safe and reliable water in an efficient and cost-effective manner. • The Water District is not tasked with controlling growth. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

4. BOARD MEMBERS Ed Bowler, Chair Gunlock Dennis Iverson, Vice Chair Washington Howard Bracken Enterprise Jim Ence Santa Clara Jim Lemmon Hurricane Dan McArthur St. George Tom Hirschi Hurricane

5. Water in Washington County: Past Liquid Desert Movie

6. Water in Washington County: Today

7. Water in Washington County: Today “We all drink water from wells developed by someone else”. • Groundwater and surface water considered fully allocated • Diverse Storage System: Quail Creek, Sand Hollow, Kolob, Gunlock, Ivins, Ash Creek • Well Fields: Sand Hollow, Gunlock, Leeds, Anderson Junction, etc. • 48 MGD Water treatment Plant • Wastewater reuse plant • Integrated secondary water and irrigation systems • Canal systems largely piped • Coordinated effort to address endangered species issues Fact: Only one of our local golf courses uses culinary water (the rest use secondary water, reuse water or untreated water).

8. Water Conservation Water for Today and Tomorrow™

9. Water Conservation Efforts • Piping of canals • Secondary water use • Use of reclaimed water • Water saving appliance and fixture incentives • Public Education • Workshops • Demonstration Gardens Water for Today and Tomorrow™

10. Water Use • Washington County’s residential water use (142 gpcd) is a little higher than some other areas. • When you account for our secondary homes (27%) our residential water use per resident is similar to Las Vegas, Tucson, or other cities. • Our Commercial water use accounts for over half of our water use. Water fuels our local economy. • About two-thirds of our residential water is used outside. • Second driest State • 6-8 inches of precipitation/year • Precipitation doesn’t come in our growing season • To date, our cities and residents choose to have some landscaping, gardens, etc. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

11. Regional Water Supply Agreement • St. George • Ivins • Washington • Hurricane • Santa Clara (2006) • La Verkin • Toquerville • Leeds Agreements currently with: Apple Valley Negotiating with: Water for Today and Tomorrow™

12. Regional Water Supply Agreement • Cities have insufficient water resources to meet their needs. • Water District has committed to provide water to meet future needs. • Provide wholesale water to cities at our cost to produce and treat. • Cities have administrative and technical representatives who determine water development and maintenance priorities. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

13. Crystal Creek Pipeline Diversion and installation of about 10 miles of 36-inch pipe from Crystal Creek to Kolob Reservoir. 3,000 acre feet of water annually will run through the pipeline into Kolob Reservoir. Likely to increase Kolob Reservoir to a full-yield reservoir. Full Yield: the reservoir is capable of reliably yielding the amount of water it can store. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

14. Water in Washington County: Future Ash Creek Project • Project includes: • Piping of Wet Sandy • Ash Creek • Construction of a small reservoir at Anderson Junction • Alternate source of secondary water allowing ToquervilleSprings to be used entirely for drinking water Ash Creek Reservoir Leap Creek South Ash Creek Wet Sandy Anderson Junction Reservoir Water for Today and Tomorrow™

15. Warner Valley Project - Completion in approximately five years. Approximately 40,000 AF capacity. Warner Valley Reservoir will capture and fully utilize the existing water right at the Washington Fields Diversion. Water will be used for pressurized irrigation and secondary water in Washington Fields. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

16. Lake Powell Pipeline Project 1990 Lake Powell Pipeline conceptualized by Utah Division of Water Resources 2006 Lake Powell Pipeline Development Act 2007 Preliminary Design and Environmental Work 2009 Begin Environmental Study Process 2013 NEPA Record of Decision and Permits 2014 Final Design 2016 Construction Begins 2020 Water Delivery Water for Today and Tomorrow™

17. Lake Powell Pipeline 138 miles of buried 69-inch pipeline, pump stations, power generation. 100,000 acre-feet /year (70,000 acre-feet for Wash. Co.) Water for Today and Tomorrow™

18. Lake Powell Pipeline Project Financing • The Utah Board of Water Resources is the project sponsor. • Financing rate of about 4%. • Three water districts repay based on pro rata use of project. • Districts own project after payoff. • WCWCD uses impact fees to pay for new capital project construction. • Water can be purchased in ‘blocks’ as needed with 50 years from project completion to pay off. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

19. Colorado River System • 1922 Colorado River Compact: • Allocated water based on estimated water available - (20 million acre-feet) • Upper Basin 7.5 million acre-feet • Lower Basin 7.5 million acre-feet Water for Today and Tomorrow™

20. 1948 Upper Basin AgreementWyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico • Water divided between states. • Allocations based on a supply of 6.0 MAF (addresses the fact that original allocations were based on what was thought to be a larger supply). • States share shortages. • Individual state determines how shortages are addressed. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

21. Lower Basin (CA, NV & AZ) • No Agreement, No Cooperation, No Sharing. • Central Arizona Project – to get federal funding AZ subordinated its Colorado River water to California. • California was historically using more than its allocation. • Recent drought years and other issues have forced cooperation. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

22. How Lake Powell Functions “It is important to understand that to provide for the water and power needs of the Southwest, Lake Powell functions essentially as a bank account of water that is drawn upon in times of drought… The system is designed to function this way, and it is working well. There have been water shortages caused by the drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin the past five years (particularly in 2002), but water users above Lake Powell have not had to curtail use to meet deliveries to water users in the Lower Colorado River.” Inflow to Lake Powell 2000 - 62% 2001 - 59% 2002 - 25% 2003 - 51%       2004 - 49% 2005 - 105% 2006 - 73% 2007 - 68%   2008 – 102% 2009 – 88% 2010 – 72.5%     Taken from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, “Drought Conditions in the West”, http://www.usbr.gov/uc/feature/drought.html. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

23. Where is the best place to withdraw water during a drought? In a small tributary stream at the head of the river system? Or, in the main stem at the bottom of the river system and within a reservoir? According to Jerry Olds, Utah’s former State Engineer in charge of water rights, “with the Lake Powell Pipeline water rights and the point of diversion occurring in Lake Powell, it is one of the most firm (reliable) water supplies in Utah’s part of the Upper Colorado River Basin.” Water for Today and Tomorrow™

24. What if… • … the Colorado River dries up? • … current population projections were high? • …population growth slows down? Water for Today and Tomorrow™

25. Alternatives to the Lake Powell Pipeline • Dry up our landscapes-replace lawns and landscaping with gravel, pavement, or concrete. This combined with aggressive water conservation measures produces 33,000 acre-feet of water from a future population. • Control Growth. Controlled growth has not ever worked. • “All we need to do is conserve”. You can’t create an additional 70,000 acre-feet of water from an existing 70,000 acre-foot resource. Tucson’s water philosophy: “Protect our current water resources, make the most of the water we have, and acquire more water to meet our needs”. Water for Today and Tomorrow™

26. Washington County has a bright future. Water for Today and Tomorrow™