A legislative interim committee on Wednesday overwhelmingly recommended that bills calling for both water projects be forwarded for consideration during the 2006 general session, which begins in January.

Essentially, the proposed legislation would authorize the state to begin the preconstruction phase of the two projects, including planning and property and right-of-way purchases.

The Lake Powell pipeline would connect the giant southern Utah reservoir with the new Sand Hill Reservoir near St. George and will be needed by 2015, according to water officials. The Bear River project , which calls for a dam and reservoir near Portage that will link with Willard Bay and the Wasatch Front, won't be necessary until 2030. But with a combined cost of $790 million, lawmakers say the time has come to begin investing in both projects.

"There are a lot of things we should be doing right now, and if we wait, we're not very smart," said Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan. "Land values are going up. We'll save a great deal of money."

The Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee also forwarded a bill that would direct a portion of general fund surpluses toward the two projects after other surplus priorities were met. Another bill that would lift the cap on the one-sixteenth sales tax allocation toward water projects did not make it to a vote before the afternoon meeting was adjourned.

The Lake Powell and Bear River bills, particularly their financing schemes, ran into some opposition.

Mike Jerman of the Utah Taxpayers Association opposed the idea of earmarking any surplus funds for the pipeline or Bear River, arguing that the projects should compete with other needs when vying for leftover money.

Merrit Frey, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, argued against the Bear River proposal, citing 2050 projections that show water surpluses in Salt Lake County and elsewhere in northern Utah.

Frey also opposed language in the Bear River Act - and replicated in the Lake Powell bill - that would repeal a current requirement calling for 70 percent of a project's water contracts be sold before any construction funding is allocated.

"Let's prove we really need the project before we start spending money on it," she said.

jbaird@sltrib.com