Utah Rivers Council Launches "State Water Week"

May 02, 2008 by Jeff Robinson

A local group is hoping to get more Utahns to recognize the importance of the state's water resources. Gathering at City Creek Canyon this morning, the Utah Rivers Council launched water week, a series of events promoting water conservation. Director Ted Wilson said a number of projects and policies encourage people to waste water.

"We're concerned about impoundment of the Bear River up north in Utah; we're concerned about the pipeline from Lake Powell when the lake appears to be on a downward course of 100,000 acre-feet of water over to St. George, and we're concerned because there's another way to do this, and that's to get our act together, price water appropriately and enforce conservation," said Wilson.

But Wilson praised Governor Jon Huntsman for putting a stop to the Hook Canyon Pumped Storage Project on Bear Lake.

River Defense Coordinator Amy Defreese says Utah legislators are generally in favor of water conservation, but not entirely aware of all the benefits it offers.

"It can defer the cost of these expensive water development projects far into the future, so that we can avoid having to tax our population so heavily," said Defreese. "So I think there's a real need to get more education out there for legislators on that issue."

Tomorrow, the council is holding a demonstration on xeriscaping at Red Butte Garden. On Monday, it holds a symposium on the faults of Utah's water policies. Join Midday Metro Monday at 11 a.m. for a preview.

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