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Show THE ZEPHYR/ APRIL-MAY 2006 would have to be developed. The current water sources would be more than enough if cost effective conservation methods are employed. Utah has had a history of 50% government subsidized water use and today it has the cheapest consumer water prices in the country. These cheap prices have encouraged overconsumption. Utah is the second driest state in the country (Nevada is the driest) yet it has the highest per-capita water consumption, between 300 - 320 gallons per person per day compared to an average of 245 gallons per day for other western states and 180 for the THE GLEN CANYON INSTITUTE nation. The political pressure to maintain the current water consumption system is high and each time there is a water shortage politicians and planners jump to increase supply rather than conserve water. Utah politicians, as are most politicians, oblivious to global warming. Water conservation is viewed as a bad thing by Utah politicians. When it comes to education, health care, and social services, many legislators are eager to cut budgets and make agencies prove they need But is the pipeline really needed? Do we really have to raise statewide sales taxes? Do we really need to take water from a river where there is really no water left to be taken? more money. When it comes to water development, they can’t seem to throw tax money at it fast enough. There are adequate supplies of water for current Utahans’ and future generations with a renewed emphasis on conservation. But amazingly state legislators have rejected proposals to establish a task force to look into increasing water conservation. Even a simple bill to change the name of the Utah Division of Water Resources to’the Utah Division of Water Resources and Conservation never made it out of committee. In Utah the lack of financial conservation incentives goes beyond the consumer. County water boards have a disincentive to conserve water in their districts. Water board revenue is based largely on how much water they deliver. The more water they deliver the more money they receive. This provides financial disincentives for water conservation; County boards that spend money on conservation efforts find that the more successful they are the smaller their budget becomes. The result is most counties in Utah increase supply as water : ON ; CI edicated to D Restorii ealthy Color: ji R lee A hy ado River through Glen Canyon. fa gle n Oe CY Y n info@glencanyon.org becomes scarce. F OE 0 ae e) 2 801.363.4450 How big can a city get in the desert? Las Vegas is a good model to look at. This is a city that is growing at a faster rate than St. George. But in its 2007 water budget planners have declared that there are no new sources of water and that Las Vegas will have to become a "mature" city unless stronger water conservation will work or other sources of water can be found. The professional military mind is by necessity an inferior The WCWCD still plans to complete construction on the pipeline by 2030. So far the only : hold up is funding for the project. There is strong backing from Utah politicians and state _ government agencies like the DWR. The last session of the Utah legislature produced a bill that was immediately signed into law by Governor Huntsman that moves there. Don’t let them raise your taxes to pay for a wasteful and needless water oo eee mind; no ; ; Th; the process forward of raising statewide taxes to pay for the project. There is still hope that saner heads will prevail and that the project will be defeated. But the planning process has begun and major decisions will have to be made and water is always controversial and complex, with the outcome of development and reclamation proposals unpredictable. Contact your legislature. Encourage them to learn about global warming and plan for mountains with much less and rivers with less water. They should plan water conservation. They can no longer rely on the Colorado and Green River for more water as it is just not et and uni magi native would willing ly man es . of h Ig h intellectual qua li ty is QI : md. his J if a such ¢ calling HG. Well oe 1866-1946 _ project to be e drawn from a reservoir with an ance ae Remember we live ina Be utrotndee by a fragile ecosystem and that other living things rely on water from the Colorado River. eh : : , A man is rich in Prey ortion to the thing she can af, t ord to leave alone. The best solution calls for conservation of the already existing water in the southern Utah desert areas so that it is in line with everyone else in the West. Cheap water in St. George has already led to over consumption. Bringing in more water only fuels the problem. What we need are conservation incentives that require water users to pay a higher percentage of the costs, and city and county ordinances designed to reduce water consumption and allow for wise growth. po HD. Th Oey Richard Ingebretsen is president of Glen Canyon Institute. (richi47@comcast.net) Ken Sleight s TRAIL RIDES Los Weleonic to the 2006 Season at PACK CREEK IK ee RANCH CLOTHING COMPANY For more information on Expose yourself TRAIL RIDES with Ken, to ADVENTURE in a Lost River sarong : SON tf SGI9P ; One ae 435.259.8575 kensleight @ frontiernet.net BS NIGHTLY CABIN RENTALS RANCH 435.259.8333 13 CREEK cabins for rent jsleight1 @frontiernet.net 39 North Main St in Moab PAGE PACK |
