Show GAO AO cost inflation charges ans answered ered by conservancy district manager There is a great deal of 01 misunderstanding and con cons fusion concerning the recent report by bys the federal governments governments government's govern ments ment's General Accounting or Office nee charging ceiling cost lr Inflation on the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project L Lynn nn 1 Ludlow general manager of 01 the too Central Utah Water Conservancy District told the Districts District's Board of 01 Directors at their monthly meeting Thursday Thursday Thur of ot last week in Orem What this amounts to is a disagreement on accounting procedures between the General Accounting Office Ottice and the Bureau of I Reclamation both bOlh federal agencies he said HIE THE GENERAL Accounting Office recently released a report which said that The Bure Bureau u of Reclamation misapplied its procedures in preparing the fiscal year 1976 estimate of the authorized cost ceiling for three reclamation projects including the Bonneville Bonneville Bon- Bon neville Unit of the Central Utah Project Congress has authorized the cost f ceilings on these projects to tobe tobe be automatically increased to cover cover increased costs caused by inflation inflation ti I Ludlow said lilt aIt It is a very complicated ac accounting question but in general terms the General Ac Accounting Off Office ice is saying that tha t tB B Bureau re u of Reclamation misapplied its procedures in calculating what these projected increased costs should be Ludlow said TWO mo THINGS should be perle perfectly understood by eVeryone everyone he said First it Isa is isa isa a disagreement between two f federal deral agencies over accounting accounting aco ac ac- counting o procedures and does involve the Central Utah Water Conservancy District d. d And And secondly all the money appropriated has been spent on 11 the Central Utah Project and any implication to the contrary is totally incorrect he said The Central Utah Water Conservancy District covering parts of 12 of Utah's 29 counties is sponsor for the Central Utah Project a multi-million multi dollar water development project What that means is that the di district is the local governmental governmental governmental govern govern- mental unit that has contracted with the federal government to repay the costs of the project and to become its operator and distributor of Its water when it itIs itis itis is completed BUT nUT TilE THE Central Utah Project is In intact fact b being ing built by bythe bythe bythe the United States Stales Bureau of Reclamation and the bureau handles all of the accounting and use of funds that has been called into question Ludlow said David L L. L Crandall regional director of the Bureau of Reclamation attended the board meeting and told the directors that the BORs BOR's Washington office was preparing a response to the GAOs GAO's charges that it would be presented at Congressional hearings on the matter malter next week and that it would be inappropriate for him to comment at this time TilE THE SAD fact is however Mr Ludlow said that the delays to the CUP caused by inadequate Congressional funding the requirements of the Nati National nal Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the resulting lawsuits br brought by so-called so environmental groups have caused the cost of the CUP to soar Every day that passes without completion of the CUP means that much more Utah w water ter has flowed downstream to Arizona and nd California Water in the West means money to those who have it and use it Ludlow said The money lost to Utah with the loss of ot our w water ter combined with the increased costs of ot the CUP due to Inflation should cause all to be con concerned by the unreasonable and uneconomical method by which this project has been funded and handled by the federal government Ludlow said It still remains that current water needs require the completion of ot this project as early as possible It should be given a priority position by the federal government government govern govern- govern ment in completing its con con- Ludlow a acknowledged that he had received an inquiry from Congressman Gunn McKay concerning the GAOs GAO's ac acc Congressman McKay always has been a good friend of the Central Utah Project and although the Bureau of Reclamation must be the primary source of this Information information information in In- formation I will respond as quickly and completely as possible to his request Ludlow said IN OTHER board action a resolution was approved directing that the Central Utah Water Conservancy District acquire water rights in Utah Lake to improve its position Inthe in inthe inthe the negotiating of future operating procedures for for- forthe the lake The resolution also encouraged encouraged encouraged en en- the construction of Lampton Reservoir as part of the Provo Jordan River Parkway Parkway Park Park- way to relieve pressure on Utah Lake The Utah Utah Lake compromise agreement which determines how much water will be stored in Utah Lake h has s been violated year ear after year and Utah County land owners have had about all they are going to stand for board member G G. G Marion Marlon Hinckley said THERE IS a real problem with Utah Lake and I hope the Bureau of Reclamation and the district can solve it before we get into litigation because that thatis is the way wayve we ve are heading now he said Utah Uta Lake fed primarily by bythe bythe bythe the Provo River out of Deer Creek Reservoir is used to store water owned by both Utah and Salt Lake County water users When Utah Lake Is held at a high level agricultural land in Utah County is flooded They let the water flow out of Deer Creek Into Utah Lake because they Uey know they will ha have ve no problem filling Deer Creek in the spring but the Jordan River wont won't carry enough water to get it out of Utah Lake he said Mr Hinckley said that he had experienced problems finding out who was authorizing the releases from Deer Creek EDWARD CLYDE legal counsel told the board There is noU nothing ng more important im to the CUP now than to get those projects under some construction that will provide water to meet Indian needs We have the moral and legal obligation to get these projects moving he said indicating that the Uintah Unit presently is being held up in the federal office of Management and Budget Clyde encouraged the board to re-examine re its its its' position concerning the Ute Indian n Unit saying that it should not b be viewed as another massive trans-basin trans diversion but directed toward the development development development develop develop- ment of water for the Uintah Basin The next regular meeting of the Central Utah Water Conservancy Conservancy Conservancy Con Con- Districts District's Board of Directors will be Friday January 16 at the districts district's headquarters in Orem |