Abraham Maslow said, "It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” That seems to be the case for the Washington County Water “Conservancy” District (WCWCD). The only tool in their box appears to be a very expensive pipeline.
WCWCD relies on faulty data to show a need for the pipeline. We are not running out of water. Children growing up here will be able to stay without the pipeline. In fact, the pipeline debt service may make it difficult for today’s children to afford housing in Washington County in the future. With Washington County now being the only water district in the project, it will fall on just our shoulders to repay the multibillion-dollar project.
Kane County has pulled out of the project because they realized their growth projections were wrong and, all of a sudden, they don’t need the pipeline at all. When will Washington County do the same and think about the livelihoods of their customers before the money in their pocket? Utahns don’t have the money to pay for any unnecessary projects.
How will the pipeline impact our economy? Increasing taxes and increasing home prices, leading to a shrinking tax base. There are less expensive options and, as we have some of the highest water usage per capita in the country, we have a long road of conservation ahead of us in order to bring our water consumption even close to the national average.
Our usage of about 300 gallons per person per day is far off from the 179 gallons per person per day, which is the national average. I urge the Washington County Water “Conservancy” District to pull out of the Lake Powell Pipeline and think about the residents they serve first.
Jerry Salkowe, St. George
