• drought,
• the impacts on a water district if it loses its property tax appropriation,
• the District's involvement since the early 1980s in protecting native fish species, and
• a puzzle for the kids.

2012 Spring Water Line

Letter to the Editor April 4, 2012

• A community that provides jobs will appear to have higher water usage while a community which provides workers wil appear to have lower water usage.  Someone living in Santa Clara, for example, but working in St. George will use St. George's water during the work day.
• "Water economy" is a term used to reflect the water needed, not just to meet the health and safety needs of individuals, but also the water needed to support the economy, generate electricity and enhance of our quality of life.
• Since a July 2000 study commissioned by the Grand Canyon Trust to study water usage in southewestern Utah, there has been a 24% reduction in actual residential water use by St. George residents based on the water usage numbers provided in that study.
• St. George could eliminate all its industrial, commercial and municipal uses of water. but that would mean there would be no jobs, no commerce and no education.

Click here to read the entire article.  Sustainable Growth and Water

Those opposed to growth in Washington County contend that the 125,000 acre feet (AF) of water that discharges in the Virgin River on average each year is a sufficient water supply to meet future human and wildlife requirements thereby rendering the Lake Powell Pipeline unnecessary. 

FACT:

• 125,000 AF is an average which only occurs three out of ten years.  Seven out of ten years, the Virgin River runs well below that average.  Water supplies must be reliable and always capable of meeting needs.
• High Virgin River flows resulting from a flood cannot be captured because there are no on-stream reservoirs.  Environmental issues preclude the construction of an on-stream reservoir.  The District’s reservoirs (Quail Creek and Sand Hollow) are off-stream and require piping of the water to the reservoirs.  The excessive debris in the flood water as well as the sediment would clog and damage pipelines and other infrastructure.
• The water diversion and transmission infrastructure will not allow for diversion of 125,000 AF feet of water.  Infrastructure is sized for available water rights and the amount of water which reliably occurs.
• There are six native fish, including two endangered species in the Virgin River.  If all of the river water were diverted, the river would dry up thereby severely impacting these species.  The District, as a partner in the Virgin River Program, is committed to providing water in the Virgin River to protect and enhance aquatic habitat. The high salinity of the water below Pah Tempe Hot Springs renders the water unusable for culinary purposes.
• Due to irrigation water rights, the District can capture water for storage in Quail Creek and Sand Hollow Reservoirs only four months out of the year. 
• 2005 was a high water year for Washington County.  There was a total annual yield of 379,384 AF of water.  273,281 AF of that could not be captured due to flood conditions, water rights, and required instream flows. 

Without the bank account of water stored in Lake Powell, water users in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming might have to curtail uses during periods of drought to meet this delivery requirement. Instead, storage in Lake Powell is used resulting in lower storage levels during periods of drought.

The system is designed to function this way, and it is working well."

[from the Bureau of Reclamation's webpage]

http://www.usbr.gov/uc/feature/drought.html

During 2007, Lake Powell Reservoir was about half full.  This condition is expected, considering that inflows to the lake have been much less than average (with the exception of 2005) and drought conditions have prevailed since 2000. Inflow in 2002 was the lowest ever recorded since the lake began filling in 1963.

Even in recent years with below average flows and the greatest drought in recorded history on the upper Colorado River, storage in Lake Powell has allowed the Upper Basin to deliver the required amount (7.5 million acre feet) of water to the Lower Basin. During that time, Utah water users and the other states in the Upper Basin have not had to curtail use to meet downstream demands. The Colorado River reservoir system is working.

When confronted with even greater droughts or climate change that could further decrease precipitation, the Colorado River at Lake Powell is the best place on the upper river system to withdraw water. The Lake Powell Pipeline water right is a good priority compared to other water rights in the upper Colorado Basin in Utah. 

When severe droughts occur and water shortages are required, the headwater withdrawal locations are most severely affected. Water users at these locations may not be able to withdraw even the shortage amount. The individual headwater tributaries are affected by drought much more than the main stem of the Colorado River itself. There is certainly an advantage to withdrawing the Colorado River water at the second largest reservoir on the river system.

With the variations in flows into Lake Powell, and with possible droughts associated with climate change, Lake Powell Pipeline water is needed more than ever. If flows are low in the Colorado, it is likely flows will be even lower in the Virgin River making a diversified water resource for Washington County even more important. Lake Powell is working to capture and store water and make it available for water users. 

If the Lake Powell Pipeline is not built, the District would have to try to find other sources of water equaling the 69,000 AF shortage by 2020.

Draft Study Report #22, written by the Lake Powell Pipeline Project consultant, MWH, looks at four sources of water and the impacts each source would have on Washington County. This article will feature just the impacts that aggressive water conservation would have on Washington County and its residents.

An all-out aggressive conservation campaign would restrict water for outdoor use to 10.3 gallons per capita per day (an 89.4% reduction in outdoor water use).

• All trees, plants, grass and bushes would have to be removed.
• Shade trees that have been here since the days the first pioneers arrived would be removed.
• Only a limited amount of xeriscaping would be allowed.
• Vegetable and ornamental gardens as well as fruit trees would be prohibited.
• Surfaces would have to be covered with either rock or concrete if dust and weeds are to  be kept down.
• Hardscape would lead to higher temperatures resulting in increased power demands.
• Visual resources would deteriorate as cement and rocks take the place of the colors of local flora.
• Air quality would deteriorate as particulate matter would increase as a result of exposed soil.
• As compliance would be mandatory, a program would have to be developed by the District to investigate reported violations for using more than 10.3 gallons of water per capita per day.  Fines would be attached to these violations.
• Groundwater levels could decline because there would be no recharge with the severe restrictions on outdoor watering.
• Restricted irrigation would result in less return flows to the Virgin River severely impacting aquatic species, wildlife and habitat.

To read the entire Draft Study Report #22, log on to

 wcwcd.org/projects/current-projects/lpp-lake-powell-pipeline/

• the job of a water district to manage water and not growth
• Lake Powell being a dependable source of water for southern Utah
• the inability of the Virgin River to meet the water needs of Washington County
• the drastic cuts that will be required  in our outdoor water use if we do not get our share of Colorado River water and
• banking water so that it is available during times of drought.

2012 Special Winter Edition

“2011 was a great year for woundfin reproduction,” according to Fridell.  As a result, the population of woundfin was over 400% greater this year than in 2007. An exceptionally difficult year for native fish in the Virgin River, 2007 left this endangered species struggling to survive.  In August 2007, an inch of rain fell in a period of three hours, sending flood waters with ash and debris from recent fires down North Creek into the Virgin River.  The flooding resulted in a massive fish kill and woundfin numbers in the river dropped to zero.

In the fall of 2007, young hatchery woundfin were stocked in the Virgin River, but that winter turned out to be exceptionally cold in southern Utah.  The Virgin River froze over in spots, killing older fish.  The young woundfin that did survive the winter were too small to contribute much to reproduction the next spring, so fish populations remained low.

Surmounting the challenges to native fish species has been the focus of the Virgin River Resource Management and Recovery Program (Virgin River Program), a cooperative effort initiated in 2001 by the Washington County Water Conservancy District (Water District), the Utah Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other concerned agencies.  This united focus has been successful in accomplishing a task that rarely succeeds; preventing the invasion of a highly aggressive invader species to the woundfin known as the red shiner.  The efforts of the Virgin River Program, with extensive logistical support from the Water District, have pushed the red shiner back into Arizona downstream from the woundfin’s last refuge in Utah.

In 2009, the Water District constructed a pumping system for the Virgin River Program which pumps water uphill through its pipeline system to be released for fish protection.  This allows the Water District, on an as-needed basis, to provide in-stream water flows to help the woundfin and other native fish through the challenges posed by low river flows and hotter water temperatures.  Providing this extra water at strategic intervals throughout the year allows more optimal river flows and temperatures critical to fish survival.  These cooperative efforts between the Water District and wildlife biologists are just part of the efforts that have led to an increased population in woundfin.

Today, woundfin numbers are good.  With continued support and cooperation between the Water District, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor and supplement water flows, the endangered woundfin minnow may continue to thrive in its last remaining home in the Virgin River.

Note: This press release was submitted to The Spectrum on 12/29/2011. The Spectrum published an article entitled Program helps fish make a comeback on 12/31/2011.