Wall was one of more than 40 people who spoke Wednesday night on the project in St. George. It was the second of three public meetings held by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is preparing the necessary environmental documents for the project's approval.

"Social and economic resources will be the most heavily impacted," said Wall. "I can't imagine a million people in this [region]. I'm appalled at the cost we'll leave to future generations."

The state predicts that in 50 years, a million people could be living in Washington, Kane and Iron counties. State water managers have proposed the pipeline - still in the early stages of planning - to meet the needs of that population boom. Along the route of the pipeline, five power-generating units are planned.

At Wednesday's meeting, FERC officials and state water officials avoided answering the key questions on most everyone's mind: How much the project will cost, and how much electricity the project would generate in relation to the power needed to operate the hydrogenerating system.

"What's the cost to residents?" asked Newell Matheson. "We need to know."

Jim Fargo, FERC project manager, said earlier that the agencies were not able to provide those figures because they are still being evaluated. He said the agency might have some numbers in September.

The lack of answers did not please many of the nearly 300 people who filled a conference room of the Dixie Center to comment and get information on the pipeline.

Wednesday's meeting came a day after the first public comment meeting held in Kanab. A third meeting is planned for tonight in Cedar City.

If built, the pipeline would deliver 10,000 acre-feet of water to Kane County and 70,000 acre-feet to Washington County. A proposed branch line would pump 20,000 acre-feet of water more than 40 miles uphill to Iron County.

Many people at the first two meetings had doubts about the water supply from the lake - which relies on flows in the Colorado River - in an age of warming temperatures.

Some speakers also complained that residents would not have a chance to express their opinion of the project at the ballot box.

Paul Wynn urged residents to contact the Governor's Office and other state offices to voice concern about the issue not being subject to a vote. "Write letters demanding a vote on this," he said.

Before the comments were heard, Citizens for Dixie's Future, a group opposed to the pipeline, held a rally outside the Dixie Center with speakers urging conservation and describing the pipeline as an invitation for more growth and diminished quality of life.

Greg Stevens, a St. George native, was one of the few, outside county officials, who spoke in favor of the pipeline as a necessity.

"It should have been built long ago," he said, brushing off fears about growth eroding quality of life.

He pointed out that 66 percent of Washington County is federally owned and will never be developed, leaving just 44 percent available for development.

"It's like a city in the middle of a big park," he said.

mhavnes@sltrib.com

* Size: A 158-mile-long, 69-inch-diameter pipeline from Lake Powell to a reservoir in Washington County, along with a 38-mile-long, 30-inch pipeline from Washington County to Iron County.

* Cost: Construction would run about $842 million, including the Lake Powell pipeline and several other water projects.

* Recipients: Washington County would get 70,000 acre-feet of water, Kane County would get 10,000 and Iron County 20,000.