This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Builders, developers and city officials who wish to add to their tax base are all for unrestricted building. They forget that we live in a desert environment. They confidently await the winter snowfall to make all things great again.

Last year's snowfall was just about average, not enough to make up for a dry summer. Reservoirs are below average so a greater than normal snowfall is imperative. What if the snowfall is not up to average? What if this year's rainfall is a harbinger of the future and our low precipitation becomes our new average? Our present water sources are about maxed out. Where do we go from here?

St. George wants to build a pipeline from Lake Powell to their city. This would require a pipe of considerable diameter to be sufficient for the city's needs. Just filling up a pipe that size and that long would be a huge drain on an already low-level lake. This is a volume that would never change as long as the pipeline is in existence. That is a lot of water to be permanently tied up.

I am not aware of any group that is concerned with our potential water problem. If this is so, it is high time that we start considering how to cope with much less water.

John B. Henkels

Salt Lake City