Lawmakers set aside $5M for water projects that will cost $2B

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Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, found money for the new "Water Infrastructure Fund" before the end of legislative business Thursday.

Lawmakers set aside a one-time appropriation of $5 millionfor the account dedicated to paying for big water projects. Adams' legislation advocated maximizing Utah's "undeveloped" shares of water from the Bear and Colorado rivers.

The new fund links two controversial projects, on the Bear River in northern Utah and the Lake Powell Pipeline in the southern part of the state. Together, the two projects are estimated to cost more than $2 billion.

Critics say both water systems would damage sensitive ecosystems and discourage water conservation in the second-driest state in the country.

But state and local water officials say the projects are needed to quench the thirst of a Utah population expected to double by 2060.

Money from the fund can also be used to repair, replace or improve federal water projects when federal funds are not available.

— Brett Prettyman