lake powell pipeline

Having created historical context for the pipeline in two previous podcasts, In Site now explores the pipeline itself.  Jane Whalen, board member of Conserve Southwest Utah and Coordinator of the Lake Powell Pipeline Coalition, was the primary architect of their collective, incredibly thorough and detailed one hundred and eighty-six page objection to the pipeline (see link below).  Quite simply, nobody involved with the pipeline understands it better than Jane. 

We focused on the pipeline because the Zion Canyon Mesa intends to actively participate in critical issues directly facing our home here in Washington County.  In these strange, unmoored and disturbing times, it seems that part of the problem is we simmer too long in disconnected online ethers, then break into reality off kilter, and with increasing violence.  We believe that rooting firmly in our chosen landscapes and communities will provide an immediate level of stability and sanity, and suggest a path forward as well.

We prioritized the pipeline issue because it was one of about sixty projects nationwide that the Trump administration placed on their Fast Track.  This greatly compressed some review processes and outright dismissed others; approval seemed imminent.  

However, that suddenly and utterly changed when the six other states of the Colorado River Compact  (see the previous podcast with Eric Kuhn) submitted a joint letter to Utah threatening lawsuits, saying there were any number of Compact issues needing resolution before even entering a Fast Track.  Utah’s two pipeline proponents, the Utah Department of Natural Resources and the WCWCD, responded by immediately withdrawing for at least two years to address the Compact concerns. To Jane’s credit, the issues she helped raise in the Coalition review match those expressed by the other Compact states, so our review here will touch on these comprehensive concerns.

Finally, we want to act as an honest broker for respectful dialogue about such issues.  As such, this podcast was originally going to feature a dialogue between Jane and WCWCD representatives Zach Renstrom, General Manager, and Karry Rathje, their Communications & Government Affairs Manager.  We want to really thank them for their willingness to participate in this discussion.  However, recent events allow us all to step back and take a deep breath.  We hope that Zach and Karry will join us soon so they can speak for themselves.  

At stake: do we, the citizens of Washington County, collectively want to invest perhaps $2Billion of our tax dollars into this project?

Eric digs into how politicians ignored drought data to create the 1922 Colorado River Compact, and how that intentional myopia continued for almost a century.  Today, the entire basin must finally reckon with what has been true all along; that the allocated water just is not there.  He busts two foundational myths along the way, one about the science and data, and the other about water use.  He then situates the Lake Powell Pipeline (LPP) into the present moment of truth, setting the stage for our next, perhaps final podcast about the LPP itself.  

We say “perhaps,” because if this story continues to unfold as dynamically as in the last couple weeks, we will need another podcast later to keep up.  To wit: ALL the other basin states just signed a letter threatening court action unless Utah commits to resolving key LLP issues through the Compact itself, per the agreement. Utah responded by asking the Bureau of Reclamation to extend the deadline for their environmental study, giving everyone more time and breathing room. This steps the LLP back from President Trump’s “Fast Track,” which he has conferred on about sixty other projects nationwide, including Washington County’s Northern Corridor Highway.  Stay tuned…

Eric Kuhn is the co-author of Science be Dammed: How Ignoring Inconvenient Science Drained the Colorado River. He was General Manager of the Colorado River Conservation District (CRCD) for twenty-two years.  The CRDC is a government entity formed in 1937 which oversees Colorado River basin issues for the state.  

He is also author of any number of papers about Colorado River water use and law, including an excellent piece linked in our Show Notes about the crux, upcoming 2026 Compact summit.

Eric Kuhn

1922 Colorado River Compact

Inkstain Blog

Science Be Dammed: How Ignoring Inconvenient Science Drained the Colorado River by Eric Kuhn and John Fleck

The Colorado River

Imperial Valley

All American Canal

Image from space

 Rivers of Empire by Donald Worster

 Pat Mulroy and the “Valentines Day Massacre” for Las Vegas water - (the “Massacre” bit is about ¾ the way down, but the whole article is worth reading)

 Royce Tipton

 2007 Interim Agreement - Record of Decision and American Rivers Article

2019 Drought Contingency Plan

Testing the Drought Contingency Plan

 2026 Colorado River Compac