The feds are chipping in to save water in Washington County

ST. GEORGE — The Washington County Water Conservancy District was selected as one of five recipients of federal funding to put dollars to work for saving water in the West — an urgent goal due to decades of drought.

“This effort to diversify our tools by taking previously unusable water sources and turning them into new supplies will be instrumental in managing through drought,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “These historic investments are allowing these communities to build and expand infrastructure to recycle large amounts of water to meet growing needs.”

In Utah’s Washington County, the $1 billion system will get a boost of $641,222 for new water treatment facilities, advanced purification technology, new conveyance pipelines and storage reservoirs, according to the bureau’s release on Monday.

The southern Utah area has often come under attack for what its critics say is excessive water use — which the district disputes.

Zach Renstrom, the district’s general manager, said it has the most aggressive water conservation policies in the state and plans an additional reduction of water use of 15% by 2035.

The criticism, however, is part of opponents’ objections to the state’s pursuit of the Lake Powell Pipeline, an ambitious project to siphon water from the nation’s second largest human-made reservoir so it can meet the demands of growth in the coming decades.

While the Lake Powell Pipeline is not off the table, it has ground its way through an intense and long regulatory process — raising questions about when it may become a realty.

The Virgin River, a tributary of the Colorado River, is the primary source of water for the district. It also relies on groundwater, but these sources are approaching capacity in an area that is expected to double its population by 2060. The district and its partners are developing a water reuse system to meet demand. Once complete, it will be the largest reuse project in the state.

The $1 billion system includes new treatment facilities, advanced water purification technology, new conveyance pipelines and storage reservoirs. Components include:

• Three water reclamation facilities to remove and eliminate contaminants prior to reuse.
• An advanced water purification facility to purify reclaimed water, removing impurities and contaminants to make it safe for drinking.
• Four new reservoirs to collect and store water.
• 60 miles of pipeline will convey water throughout the system and deliver reuse water to customers.

When complete, the system is projected to produce more than 24,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2042, enough water to serve more than 40,000 new homes. The system includes multiple pump stations to bring water from lower to higher elevations for more efficient and cost effective delivery.

Renstrom said the project will be built on an as-needed basis to meet growth and will primarily be funded through impact fees assessed on new development.

The district has a water reuse system that has been in place for two decades, but this will build up capacity and help diversify the district’s water supplies, Renstrom said.

“We live in the Mojave Desert, and the hydrology of this area is typical desert, where one year we will be dealing with an excess runoff, and so we’ll have flooding events, and then we’ll go into a drought for several years,” Renstrom said. “And so our system has to be very dynamic and to account for those large swings that Mother Nature gives us.”

The reuse system will give them added reliability.

“The one attractive thing about utilizing this resource is that it’s a little bit more of a steady supply, where the Virgin River has much higher variability,” he said.

Renstrom received the Utah Water Pioneer Award at the Utah Water Policy annual luncheon earlier this year, recognizing the innovative work at the district under his purview.