Lin Alder, executive director of Citizens for Dixie's Future, warns that the proposed 158-mile-long pipeline would be too costly, would spawn more sprawl, could prove unreliable and, ultimately, would not be needed to meet the region's water demands.
But the Washington County Conservancy District sees the $842 million project as vital to providing reasonably priced water to southwestern Utah's surging population - expected to swell by 600,000 people in the next 40 years.
The pipeline - construction could start as soon as 2018 - also would deliver smaller shares of water to neighboring Kane and Iron counties. And four proposed hydroelectric plants along the yet-to-be-determined route could help satisfy energy demands.
But Alder, who huddled with pipeline opponents this week, worries that building the pipeline will spur growth. In addition, he notes, the $4,781 impact fee charged by cities on new construction to help pay for it requires a constant influx of people.
"If you build the pipeline," he says, "they must come" to help pay for the project.
An environmental activist, Alder urges residents to study the pipeline plan, tell friends and neighbors about it, and organize grass-roots meetings.
He says the politics of Colorado River water, which fills Lake Powell, and the threat of global warming could affect the pipeline's reliability. He says drought conditions - coupled with priority demands on the water by California, Arizona and Nevada - could prevent the pipeline from delivering the promised water.
Alder argues that conservation and development of other water projects could satisfy area water needs.
Barbara Hjelle, assistant director of the Washington County Water Conservancy District, agrees conservation is important but warns that it would be too pricey to deliver water from other sources in the county.
"The amount and quality are not comparable to what the pipeline could deliver," she says.
But pipeline foe Amanda Hixson isn't sold.
"Cutting [water] use and developing other projects is the way to go," she says. "People still landscape with grass."
mhavnes@sltrib.com
* Size: A 158-mile-long, 66-inch-diameter pipeline from Lake Powell to a reservoir in Washington County, along with a 38-mile-long, 30-inch pipeline from Washington to Iron County.
* Cost: Construction would run about $842 million, including the 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.
* Web links: www.lake
powellpipeline.org, www.citizensfordixie.org, http://wcwcd.state.ut.us.
