Progress – Of a sort …

I have a minor responsibility in the town where I live and that gives me an “official” mailbox in the town offices. Mostly, what lands there are pieces of paper that get stuck into all the boxes. But one that was more interesting than the others was the Fall/Winter Lake Powell Pipeline report.

The first thing that’s interesting is that this one-sided argument seems to be paid for by our tax dollars. It’s sent out by three water conservancy districts in Color Country. It seems to me that there’s another side to the story that’s totally missing. If I’m paying for it, I’d like my point of view to be represented too.

(What was that old battle cry? Oh yes! Taxation without representation!)

But there was progress of a sort. The most compelling reason for not building the pipeline is that there’s no good reason to think that there will actually be any water available to fill it. In contrast to previous reports, the Pipeline supporters felt compelled to actually respond to this. In fact, in the official minutes of the Washington County Water Conservancy District (December 4, 2007), Dan McArthur, the Mayor of St. George, admitted that, “The opponents are getting their message out.”

And we’re doing it even though we have to pay the bill ourselves too!

As stark evidence of the one-sided point of view of our public servants, Ron Thompson, General Manager, Washington County Water Conservancy District, was recently quoted as telling a meeting with real estate developers. “I just want to lay this out point blank and make sure you understand. Frankly, I would like you to become spokesmen (of the pipeline) and the importance of it.” This also tells you who will really benefits from the pipeline: developers.

In the most recent glossy brochure, Larry Anderson, the Project Manager (that means that his salary depends on keeping this thing alive) wrote a piece titled, “Is Lake Powell a reliable source of water?” His argument boils down to … well, I’ll quote him directly:

“Sometimes it is an advantage to be at the ‘bottom of the ditch’ rather than at the top.”

In other words, if all the water in the West disappears, Lake Powell will disappear last.

If this is the best argument they can think of, it’s not going to be much of a debate.

In my recent blog, A Drought of Common Sense, I cover the laws that govern water use from Lake Powell. It’s worth keeping in mind that Arizona and California called up their respective militia’s the last time this became an issue. Will the Mormon Battalion be called back into action to get those last few gallons of mud? The laws make it very doubtful that when push comes to shove … and it will … that the other people with earlier claims and existing investments will allow an interloper like Color Country to start cutting into their supplies.

But there is one thing that is absolutely guaranteed. If the people of Color Country build this thing, they will pay for it. Generations of us will pay for it, whether there is water to fill it or not. The supporters estimate that the bill will be $500 million dollars! Opponents say it will cost way more than a billion dollars.