Water conservation and river restoration were the rallying cries outside Utah governor Mike Leavittís office on the fifth International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life, March 14, 2002. LIVING RIVERS was joined by eleven other Utah river advocacy organizations in presenting the first annual "State of Utahís Rivers Report" which highlighted the rapidly declining health of the Green, San Juan and Colorado rivers, as a result of excessive water consumption.

Of major concern is a proposed pipeline from Lake Powell reservoir to St. George in Utah's Washington County. The proposed $250-million project is designed to bring 70,000 acre-feet of water to southwest Utah, which is 150 percent more than the region is presently using. Washington County now wastes more water than practically any other community in the country; its per capita water use is 355 gallons per day. In contrast, the community of Tucson uses only half this amount of water: 170 gallons per person, per day.

If constructed, this pipeline would also represent the first major water diversion directly from Lake Powell reservoir. LIVING RIVERS is opposing any such infrastructure as it would be unnecessary and add to the costs associated with the eventual decommissioning of Glen Canyon Dam.

Water conservation and river restoration were the rallying cries outside Utah governor Mike Leavitt's office on the fifth International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life, March 14, 2002. LIVING RIVERS was joined by eleven other Utah river advocacy organizations in presenting the first annual "State of Utah's Rivers Report" which highlighted the rapidly declining health of the Green, San Juan and Colorado rivers, as a result of excessive water consumption.

Of major concern is a proposed pipeline from Lake Powell reservoir to St. George in Utah's Washington County. The proposed $250-million project is designed to bring 70,000 acre-feet of water to southwest Utah, which is 150 percent more than the region is presently using. Washington County now wastes more water than practically any other community in the country; its per capita water use is 355 gallons per day. In contrast, the community of Tucson uses only half this amount of water: 170 gallons per person, per day.

If constructed, this pipeline would also represent the first major water diversion directly from Lake Powell reservoir. LIVING RIVERS is opposing any such infrastructure as it would be unnecessary and add to the costs associated with the eventual decommissioning of Glen Canyon Dam.

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Last Update: October 30, 2007