On The Colorado - Articles

NOTE: The Bureau of Reclamation has formally terminated the process to develop an Enivornmental Impact Statement for the construction of the Lake Powell Pipeline Project.

September 9, 2020 - Surrounding states bash Utah's Lake Powell pipeline project. By Brain Maffley for the Salt Lake Tribune

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Part Two is located HERE.

THIS POST IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION (This is a huge admin record)

THE ADMINISTRATION RECORD OF THE LAKE POWELL PIPELINE

What we now know as a proposed river diversion called the Lake Powell Pipeline Project (LPP or LPPP), was actually conceived in the early 1960s as the Dixie Project, and during the proceedings in the USA House and Senate for the eventual authorization of the Colorado River Basin Storage Project Act of 1968. It was then a federal project for the Lower Division of the Colorado River Basin, of which Washington County, Utah belongs. The original funding for construction of the Dixie Project was federal taxpayer dollars. Reforms in the 1980s basically ended the "Reclamation Era" of dam construction. Today, the funding for this project has been, and will be, generated by the rate payers and taxpayers of Utah. The licensing of this project must meet, however, the criteria of federal public law.

Without doubt, the LPP is a project that can only provide a water delivery based entirely on paper promises, and not actual wet water. Actual wet water in the Colorado River Basin hasn't existed since the 1968 authorization of the Central Arizona Project, which history has now proven to be the tipping point for creating water instability in the entire Colorado River Basin. What this essentially means is the system works, until it doesn't.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (Lead Agency in 2019)
Bureau of Reclamation WEBSITE

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (Lead Agency prior to 2019)

CLICK HERE to visit the FERC document library for the administrative record of the Lake Powell Pipeline The docket # is: P-12966
CLICK HERE to download a pdf file with active hyperlinks of the complete administrative record from 2007 to 2013
CLICK HERE to download a pdf file with active hyperlinks of the complete administrative record from 2014 to 2019

OTHER WEBSITES

Home page of the Lake Powell Pipeline Project (proponents)
Home page of Lake Powell Pipeline Facts (opponents)
Washington County Water Conservancy District
Community Integrated Resources Planning Advisory Committee (CIRPAC)

1964

Dixie Project; Lower Division, Region 3: USA House Committee Hearing

1965

Central Utah Project Ultimate Phase Inventory & Available Data; & (in high resolution).

1966

Dixie Project Data of Lower Division. USBR.

1973

1974

Uintah Ouray Indian Reservation Resources Development Potential. BIA.

1975

1978

Uintah Unit Central Utah Project EIS

1980

Ute Water Right Tabulation

1992

1993

Ute Aggreement for Water From USA

1994

Utah Policy Regarding Applications To Appropriate Water From Green River. UDWR.

1995

Ute Indian Water Compact
Water Right 89-1525; Washington County Water Conservancy District. UDWRi.
LPP feasibility Study. Boyle.
LPP Purpose and Need Study. Boyle.

1996

41-3479 Water Right Admin History. UT Div of Water Rights.
Water Right Extension Approval
Application Protests of LLP

1997

Utah Title 73 Chapter 21 Ute Indian Water Compact
Admin record for Water Right 89-1559; City of St. George. UDWRi.
Ute Water Right 41-2963(ocr). UDWR. The Ute Indian Unit water right will be used for non-indian purposes.

1999

Water Right Extension Approval

2000

Washington County Water Supply Report. Hydrosphere.

2001

History Of Central Utah Project: Federal Perspective

2002

Unbuilt Ultimate Phase Units: History of CUP. USBR.
History of Central Utah Project Federal Perspective
Green River Pipeline Draft (transbasin diversion to Bear River). UDWRe.

2003

Use and Accounting of Upper Basin Water For Lower Basin Lake Powell Pipeline. Upper Colorado River Commission.

2006

2007

Water Marketing From Flaming Gorge Reservoir. USBR. A 40-year limitation of 165,000 acre-feet from Flaming Gorge Reservoir for the Upper Basin.
Application Preliminary Permit LP Pipeline Project
LLP Comments. Dept. of Interior.
Western Water Projects. Carpe Diem.

WORLD-WIDE ECONOMIC "RECESSION" BEGINS

2008

Notice of Intent: Lake Powell Pipeline. Utah Board of Water Resources.
FERC Scoping Document. (ocr).
LPP Colorado State Comments
LPP Nevada State Comments. Mulroy.
LPP Report: Socioeconomic Resources. Tufte.
Paiute Comments LPP. (ocr).
Scoping Comments. LPP Coalition.
Scoping 02 Comments. LPP Coalition.
Motion to Intervene. LPP Coalition.
Comments to FERC. Southern Nevada Water Authority.

2008 ZIP FILES: Pre-Application Documents (PAD)

2009

Upper Colorado River Basin Policy Issues. UDWR.
Colorado Water Rights for Utah. UDWR.
Extension Request: Duchesne Water Conservancy District. Reclamation.

2010

40-year Plan: Flaming Gorge Water Right. (ocr).
40-year Plan: Flaming Gorge Water Right
Minutes: July 2010 LPP Management Committee
Green River Pumping Project

This project requires a federal contract for a water release from Flaming Gorge Dam. The diversion is limited to 10,000 acre-feet per year and for a maximum time-period of five years. After the initial five years the project can enter a 40-year contract with Reclamation, which is the maximum time-frame allowed.
- 2010 - FONSI and Biological Assessment of GRPP. USBR.
- Biological Opinion Green River Pumping Project. USFWS.
- Environmental Assessment: Green River Pumping Project. (archived). USBR.
- Biological Assessment for Green River Pumping Project. USBR.
On August 11, 2009 the District segregated 8,500 af (Water Right No. 43-12263) off of Water Right No. 41-2963 (A30414) and filed Change Application No. a35811 to move this water to the GRPP.
Water Right No. 41-3487 (A30414db) for 8,400 af
Water Right No. 41-3523 (A30414do) for 43,400 af from the Ultimate Phase water right.

2011

Federal Agreement with Utah. The water right for the Lake Powell Pipeline is now junior to Central Utah Project and its Units.
Order of State Engineer. The water right for the LPP expired and the State Engineer granted an extension with a caveat that the project must begin depletions by October 31, 2020.
Lake Powell Pipeline Funding Clears First Hurdle in Deseret News
Lake Powell Pipeline May Take Share of Statewide Sales Tax by Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board
Don't Soak Utahns OpEd by Salt Lake Tribune

2011 - The Initial Study Documents

The sensitive material of the archeology report will not be made public. The ethnographic report is still pending.

These documents were submitted in accordance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by the Utah Division of Water Resources for the potential licensing of Lake Powell Hydroelectric Project No. 12966, otherwise known as the Lake Powell Pipeline. Originally the proposed project would deliver 100,000 acre-feet (annually) of Colorado River water from Lake Powell to Kanab, Washington and Iron counties. Recently, Iron County decided to drop out of project because of the exorbinante cost. The new projected depletion is 73,000 acre-feet. The project proposal also includes a component to generate electricity to defer a portion of the operating costs.