Utah Department of Natural Resources official Mike Styler offered a bleak view at times of the state's water condition. He conducted a workshop on water issues facing the state during the 21st Annual Rural Summit at Southern Utah University in Cedar City.

Styler discussed the status of two proposed pipeline projects affecting Utah and its water supply.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority wants to tap into the Snake Valley Reservoir, an underground aquifer that lies beneath western Utah and eastern Nevada, to help fill a proposed $3.5 billion pipeline running from northwestern Nevada south to Las Vegas.

Styler said an agreement between the federal government and Lincoln County, Nev., allows Utah to protect the water rights it has to the Snake Valley Aquifer during negotiations expected to conclude late next year.

Much of the aquifer sits beneath Millard, Juab, Beaver and Tooele counties.

Styler mentioned that in 1989, he learned Southern Nevada water authorities had applied to access the Snake Valley Aquifer. At that time, Styler was a Millard County Commissioner and applied for his county to be included in talks.

The request means Millard County is the lone county in the Beehive State that can take part in the project's planning.

“[Millard County] is the only legal entity in Utah [recognized] by the Nevada state engineer,” Styler said.

Last month, Utah and Salt Lake counties applied to be part of the project as “interested parties,” but Nevada engineer Tracy Taylor rebuffed the offer.

Earlier this week the two counties appealed the decision in a lawsuit alleging the Snake Valley project would lower water levels to a point that vegetation in their counties could die. The two counties argue that a drained aquifer would cause possible dust storms and degrade air quality along the Wasatch Front.

Styler also said state officials are confident water will be available for the Lake Powell Pipeline project proposed to send 100,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water from Lake Powell to Kane, Washington and Iron counties.

Because Utah is part of the Upper Basin states allocated water from the river and wants to deliver it to a region in Utah considered part of the Lower Basin, the project could face trouble.

“It could be a problem for us,” he said of the project, which is now expected to cost about $1 billion.