The Utah Legislature’s plan to bring water to our state sounds like a great idea. Until we learn that it would cost billions of dollars to fund projects like adding pipelines to the Colorado River in order to secure “our full share,” while failing to conserve water as our neighbor states are doing.
The Colorado River isn’t even expected to survive long-term, so what good is it to secure “our full share” of a trickle? That’s billions of dollars down the drain in an enormous waste of money which will be passed on to all of us in the form of significantly increased water rates.
And because the West will likely face long-term drought, Utah must eventually pipe water from other states. So it’s much better to be trusted and well-regarded rather than develop a reputation as inconsiderate water hogs who refuse to conserve even while insisting on taking a larger share of a scarce resource.
Creating infrastructure to bring water from states east of the Mississippi to the West is actually a good idea. So why not fund an infrastructure project that would actually work? We should also reduce our water demand through conservation, which is both responsible and the cheapest means to securing a scarce resource.
Georgia Platts, South Jordan
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/3pWPOvy
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