However, that doesn't cover the construction costs. Even if water users repaid most or all of the construction cost, state funding may be needed if the project is to be built.

With two states, a pair of counties and a huge initial expense, a regional project involving the state of Utah may be the way to build the project, according to Thompson.

"This cannot be accomplished without a strong state-local partnership," he added.

Larry Anderson, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, said 1,370,000 acre-feet of Upper Colorado River Basin water belongs to Utah. About 1 million acre-feet is used today. Some of the remaining amount — perhaps as much as 200,000 acre-feet — is water Indian tribes are entitled to.

That leaves 74,000 acre-feet in the Colorado River system. In order to take water out of Lake Powell for a St. George pipeline, the state may have to pay the federal government for storing the water in that reservoir.

State treasurer Ed Alter wondered if an incremental approach, such as acquiring rights of way and reservoir sites, might be the best approach for large water projects.

"The way to make these feasible is not to put them off for 15 years but to start eating the elephant in small bites," he said. "I'd like to see the state plan to get involved and accumulate resources."

Otherwise, he warned, prices could "escalate on us" until the cost becomes almost insurmountable.

"Environmental work needs to get started now," said Thompson.

Rep. Ron Bigelow, R-West Valley, noted the Legislature faces many other funding demands.

"Every time we do the budget, the question is where do we spend the funds," he said in an interview after the meeting. "There are always many needs."

Transportation needs are high on the state's considerations and there are the normal funding requirements. "And now you throw in water" projects, he said. "The task of the Legislature is to identify priorities and determine which of the priorities gets funding."

Bigelow said he has questions about whether big water projects can be funded within the next couple of years.

Merritt Frey, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council, who attended the meeting as an observer, said conservation should be stressed in Washington County.

"St. George has an incredibly high per-capita water use, compared with the rest of the state, which is already pretty high," she said. "So we would say conserving should be the first order of business down in St. George."

Frey said southwestern Utah could do much more to save water.

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com