By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab County Commissioners attended a scoping meeting held
recently to enter comments concerning the Utah Lake Drainage
Basin Water Delivery System.
"We were invited to submit comments at the open house
held on Sept. 28, and we did," said Wm. Boyd Howarth,
commission chair.
Written comment may be made until Oct. 31, he said.
All comments should be sent to Harold Sersland, Central Utah
Water Conservancy District, 355 West University Parkway,
Orem, UT 84058-7303.
The information collected will be used by the joint
lead agencies to develop possible project alternatives to
meet the future water demands within the project area.
"We were informed that a second phase of scoping will
be held to receive comments on the alternatives developed
from information received from the informal scoping," said
Howarth.
On hand for the scoping meeting held in Orem were
representatives of the U.S. Department of Interior, Central
Utah Water Conservancy District, and the Utah Reclamation
Mitigation and Conservation Commission.
"They told us that the Utah Lake System is the final
component of the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah
Project," said Howarth.
In the complex earlier stages of the CUP, various
facilities and systems were built with the overall aim of
conveying Uinta Basin water westward for use along the
Wasatch Front.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) mandates
that each component project, possible alternatives, and the
environmental impacts of each alternative be addressed and
public participation be solicited.
The scoping process is intended to help define the
needs in the project area and give direction for the project
planning to follow.
"Every time they bring the topic up again, it weakens
our position," said Howarth. "At the same time, the
continuing studies strengthen the metro area position."
Juab County has no natural lakes, he said, and CUP, as
it has been planned from the beginning, would be a boon to
the dry area.
In addition, he said, the Mona, Nephi and Levan
communities are continuing to receive the push from the
Wastach Front population expansion. The communities will
need to be part of the CUP to provide water for that future
growth.
"There is an attack on rural America, and rural Utah,
by the federal government," said Robert Steele,
commissioner. "We have been paying into the CUP for many,
many years and we want the water and need the water."
Central Utah Water Conservancy District is seeking
information regarding water use needs in the Wasatch Front,
Salt Lake, Utah and East Juab Counties.
For municipal and industrial needs (M&I), the
CUWCD is seeking information concerning population projects,
locations of present and anticipated growth, future water
needs for this growth and timing of such needs, distribution
of anticipated use by month, quantity of CUP water needed by
type, treated versus non-treated water, the location of the
desired CUP water delivery and efforts to conserve to meet
the needs of future growth.
Entities making comment were also asked to enter
estimates of the information required in 10 year intervals
from 2010 to 1070 or build out capacity or whichever is
expected to occur first.
The county commission was also asked to list available
non Central Utah Project sources of waters, water rights
currently held, water rights currently developed and the
average use by month from each source, and water rights to
be developed and the timing of such development.
"The same information was requested for the county's
irrigation needs," said Howarth.
In approximately one year, additional scoping is
planned. This will give the public the opportunity to review
and comment on alternatives.
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