There is a massive proposed diversion of the Colorado River to provide municipal water to Washington and Kane Counties in southwest Utah. These municipal water users are among the most wasteful water users in America, using more than twice the national average of water, per-person.
Reducing water consumption through conservation is a better way for Utah to meet its water needs, rather than building the Lake Powell Pipeline. Too much is at stake for the people and wildlife that rely on the Colorado River.
The Colorado River Basin not only supports 40 million people, but also some of the most abundant and diverse bird communities in the arid West. We must find water solutions that work for both people and nature.
Take action, and tell the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that any alternative approving the Lake Powell Pipeline is unacceptable.
The environmental analysis for the Lake Powell Pipeline fails to document the complete range of expected impacts to Colorado River flows and the 27 endangered, threatened, and sensitive species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, plants, birds—such as the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Yuma Ridgway’s Rail—and other wildlife that depend on downstream habitats. Compounded by a changing climate and 21-year drought effectively reducing water flows in the Colorado River, the additional depletion of more than 80,000 acre-feet of water annually through the proposed Pipeline will increase the magnitude of these impacts.
Without rectifying these problems, both the environment and the Basin’s communities—including those in Utah—face a great risk.
The Colorado River Basin not only supports 40 million people, but also some of the most abundant and diverse bird communities in the arid West. We must find water solutions that work for both people and nature.
Take action, and tell the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that any alternative approving the Lake Powell Pipeline is unacceptable.
The environmental analysis for the Lake Powell Pipeline fails to document the complete range of expected impacts to Colorado River flows and the 27 endangered, threatened, and sensitive species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, plants, birds—such as the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Summer Tanager, Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Yuma Ridgway’s Rail—and other wildlife that depend on downstream habitats. Compounded by a changing climate and 21-year drought effectively reducing water flows in the Colorado River, the additional depletion of more than 80,000 acre-feet of water annually through the proposed Pipeline will increase the magnitude of these impacts.
Without rectifying these problems, both the environment and the Basin’s communities—including those in Utah—face a great risk.
- Karyn Stockdale
National Audubon Society
National Audubon Society
The deadline for comments is September 8, 2020.
Subject: Please reconsider alternatives to the Lake Powell Pipeline
To the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation:
At this time, the only alternative I support for the Lake Powell Pipeline is the "no action" alternative. As presented, this project poses a threat to the Colorado River and the people and wildlife that rely on it. We must find solutions to our water demands that work for both people and nature.
A county in Utah wants to suck 77 million gallons a day out of Lake Powell - Los Angeles Times
For more impact, please, include a personalized message with the following statement (follow link to the petition above.) :
To the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation:
At this time, the only alternative I support for the Lake Powell Pipeline is the "no action" alternative. As presented, this project poses a threat to the Colorado River and the people and wildlife that rely on it. We must find solutions to our water demands that work for both people and nature.
The environmental analysis for the Pipeline fails to document the complete range of impacts expected with development of the proposed project. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has a responsibility--not presently met in the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)--to provide a full analysis and accounting for all impacts of the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. The DEIS is based on an incomplete hydrologic assessment, does not adequately address the water conservation alternative, fails to fully consider senior Tribal water rights, and does not take into consideration the unresolved legal implications of inter-basin transfers.
Water demands exceed supply in the Colorado River Basin, and climate change is further exacerbating this supply-demand imbalance. An additional depletion of more than 80,000 acre-feet annually through the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline will increase the magnitude of each of these impacts.
The Bureau of Reclamation should follow past successes by working with the seven Colorado River Basin states, Mexico, and water providers and users throughout the Basin to find solutions that work for both people and nature. The Bureau of Reclamation should not issue a Record of Decision for the Lake Powell Pipeline until the seven Colorado River Basin States reach consensus on the nature of any required legislation to permit the Pipeline's inter-basin water transfer.
At this time, the only supportable alternative is the "no action" alternative for the Lake Powell Pipeline.
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