Get Dixie's water needs right

On paper, the plan to run water from Lake Powell into St. George looks like a no-brainer. Supposedly, the water will run downhill all the way. The population of St. George is exploding and water needs in Utah — especially in towns that cuddle up to the Mojave Desert — are a priority.

In the abstract, the pipeline looks like a simple solution. When the plans go public and citizens begin to kibitz, however, experience teaches that the project will be anything but. In fact, it may have more kinks than an old garden hose.

First of all, some 162 agencies, Indian tribes and 100 private landowners will be affected by the line. And the money —$585 million — is hardly chump change. Throw the environmentalists into the mix, and the battle takes on the air of a donnybrook.

Detractors see the pipeline as the easy way out. Nobody will have to aggressively change their lives and conserve water, which many in the environmental community feel is the only real way to make a difference for decades to come. Some fear Lake Powell might not be able to handle such a siphon. Others fear the money will be more draining than the lake water.

People in the West have gotten so many things wrong over the years — from the sprawling towns to the destruction of historic buildings and habitat — that it's imperative the state get this one right. A false move at this point could have far-reaching effects. Paul Van Dam, director of Citizen's for Dixie's Future — wants a vulnerability assessment. We say other assessments — including all "smart growth" ideas — should be seriously factored into the mix.

The history of the West is a history of water, Wallace Stegner wrote. That is especially true of Utah's Dixie, where in the summer "the sun's so hot, the pavement sticks to your shoes."

Almost everyone in Washington County has a dog in this fight. That means everyone has some self-interest to protect. At some point, however, wisdom must prevail, no matter who ends up on the losing end.