Colorado River Basin conservation organizations have urged the US Interior Department to revoke environmental reviews and abandon plans for the contentious Lake Powell Pipeline. Due to proposed water cuts in three states downstream, the pipeline would redirect water from the Colorado River, which is decreasing, to Utah. The 140-mile pipeline has required at least $40 million in planning costs since 2006, according to the state of Utah and the Washington County Water District.
After twenty years, the Colorado River’s flows have decreased by almost 20% due to climate change, depleting reservoirs and causing a crisis of water scarcity. Users in the Lower Basin have already experienced severe supply reductions as a result of the river’s first-ever water shortage declaration in 2021. The water project is not urgently needed, according to even advocates of the Lake Powell Pipeline.
