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Show A-10 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, September 12-15, 2020 The Park Record LIVE LUXURY Your best life begins with a home that inspires you. Utah’s Colorado River plan blasted In letter, 6 states say litigation likely to follow pipeline SAM METZ Associated Press/Report for America KELLY ROGERS 435.640.7600 Global Real Estate Advisor Kelly@LuxuryParkCityRealEstate.com www.LuxuryParkCityRealEstate.com ©MMXVIII Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Company. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Copyright© Summit Sotheby’s International Realty 2018. CARSON CITY, Nev. — Six states in the U.S. West that rely on the Colorado River to sustain cities and farms rebuked a plan to build an underground pipeline that would transport billions of gallons of water through the desert to southwest Utah. In a joint letter Tuesday, water officials from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming urged the U.S. government to halt the approval process for the project, which would bring water 140 miles (225 km) from Lake Powell in northern Arizona to the growing area surrounding St. George, Utah. If the approval moves forward, state water leaders wrote, “multiyear litigation” would likely be inevitable and could complicate negotiations over the future of the Colorado River, which serves 40 million people but faces threats from persistent drought and climate change that are dwindling the supply of water. “That is not a recipe for creating the kind of meaningful and positive change needed to sustain the Colorado River in the coming decades,” they wrote. The Lake Powell Pipeline project would divert 86,000 acre-feet DON’T GET CAUGHT IN A STORM! CHECK THE WEATHER FORECAST AT PARKRECORD.COM Engagement Hunter Loomis and Matt Tychsen (106 billion liters) of water to Washington County, Utah. The state is entitled to the water under agreements between the states that date back a century, but the project’s critics worry the pipeline could further deplete Lake Powell — one of the two man-made reservoirs where Colorado River water is stored. If water levels in either Lake Powell or the other reservoir — Lake Mead — fall farther, states could be forced to limit the amount of water they can send to growing cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas and farmers throughout the region that help stock supermarkets. Under the agreements between the seven states, cuts would hit Arizona, California and Nevada before affecting Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The government received more than 10,000 public comments on an environmental impact report for the proposed pipeline before Tuesday’s deadline, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Marlon Duke said. The Interior Department, which oversees the bureau, is expected to issue a final report, which could bring the project a step closer to approval. In the letter, state water leaders argue that legal and operational issues haven’t been resolved and “that work is undeniably best undertaken” through negotiations between the states rather than lawsuits. They asked Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to delay approving the final environmental impact statement. Although the proposal isolates Utah from the other states that rely on the river, it’s committed to bringing water it’s entitled to tap to those who need it, said Todd Adams, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources. He said the project has been under review for about 20 years and that many other projects have gone through federal review while states worked through unresolved issues. “We can still work in collaboration with the basin states while also preserving Utah’s water allotment,” he said in a statement. The states are contending with a drier future as they renegotiate agreements that detail how Colorado River water is doled out. The six-state letter reflects widespread fears that pulling more water from reservoirs could jeopardize the future of the already overtapped river and signals the possibility of court challenges jeopardizing new talks when drought contingency plans between the states expires in 2026. Dennis and Lisa Loomis along with Russ and Michelle Tychsen are proud to announce the engagement of Hunter Loomis and Matt Tychsen. Matt surprised Hunter on the beautiful coastline of Big Sur, California, while they were celebrating their five year anniversary together in March. COVID put a delay in our getting the news out. A small wedding is being planned for 2021. Report: Great Salt Lake shrinking fast Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Great Salt Lake is shrinking every year, but experts are implementing measures to slow the water loss, a new report said. The Great Salt Lake Advisory Council says the water depth has dropped about 11 feet (3.35 meters) over the past 10 years, KSTU-TV reported Sunday. “It will continue to decrease at about the same amount over the next couple of decades if more is not done to bring water to the lake,” Great Salt Lake coordinator Laura Vernon said. The lake is crucial to the region’s recreation, migratory birds and billion dollar economy. The advisory council said the shrinking water level left unchecked could also cause increased air pollution from the wind blowing minerals out of the exposed lake bed. The council narrowed a list of 70 strategies to 12 “actionable” measures that could keep the lake from evaporating, Vernon said. Under western water law, irrigators lose rights to water they do not put to “beneficial use” and the council’s proposals include recognizing rights to water that is not used. “We want to make sure that they aren’t penalized for letting that water go downstream,” Vernon said. “That the beneficial use is then seen as getting the water to the lake.” INTERMOUNTAIN MORTGAGE COMPANY ANDY BAILEY Andy has an extensive history in real estate with experience in the mortgage industry, construction industry and the title industry. His multifaceted real estate approach gives him the tools necessary to provide the best and most accurate financing solutions for your individual needs. Andy has been a part of the Utah communities in everything from skiing, ranching and music to hunting, fishing and rodeo. His deep love for the outdoors and living free is why Utah is his home. Feel free to contact him with any of your mortgage needs. INTERMOUNTAIN MORTGAGE COMPANY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED WITH NATIONAL LENDING SOURCES SINCE 1992. 435.649.6660 greatlender.com 2029 Sidewinder Drive, Suite 200 NMLS #74889 |