Property taxes are almost certain to go up — but aren't expected to skyrocket — in Salt Lake and several other counties to help pay for new expenses facing the Central Utah Project.

Taxes would increase by $7.08 a year on an average $201,000 Salt Lake County home if the governing board of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District approves the increase at a meeting this afternoon that includes the last of four public hearings on the tax hike.

The increase, which district general manager Don A. Christiansen believes the board will approve, would impose the highest property-tax rate allowed without legislative authorization.

Christiansen said the increase will provide 35 percent matching funds for federal money needed to complete the massive project, now 40 years under way, to transfer water from the Uintah Basin to the Wasatch Front.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Utah Lake Drainage Basin Water Delivery System also will generate electricity in the Diamond Fork System, "carry out water conservation measures and provide minimum stream flows in the Provo River and Hobble Creek." Minimum stream flows are designed to protect the environment.

According to the department, the system will deliver 101,900 acre-feet of water annually. About 30,000 acre-feet are destined to Salt Lake County water-treatment plants; 31,590 acre-feet will go to southern Utah County secondary water systems. The final amount, 40,310 acre-feet, will go to Utah Lake in exchange for water stored in Jordanelle Reservoir.

"Interior will also acquire 57,000 acre-feet of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District's water rights in Utah Lake as additional Jordanelle exchange water," according to an interior department news release.

The matching funds must be available before the CUP can receive the federal money, but the amount will vary from year to year.

Of the 30,000 acre-feet going to Salt Lake County, five-sevenths will go to the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. The other two-sevenths is for the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy.

The amount going to southern Utah County will be used by 10 cities working together, with each able to draw from a central water account.

Referring to the Utah Lake project, Christiansen said, "It's probably 12 to 15 years away from being completed."

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