Lake Powell pipeline has already cost state $3.3 million

The Lake Powell Pipeline project has already cost the state about $3.3 million just for the engineering work, members of the Utah Board of Water Resources were told during a briefing Friday. That number represents about 60 percent of the contract the state has with the firm MWH, Utah Division of Water Resources' Eric Millis said.

In his report to board members, Millis said he hopes the licensing, permitting and environmental clearance process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will be complete in about four years. Since about 70 miles of the 169 miles of pipeline corridor runs through Bureau of Land Management areas, Millis said the state is asking FERC to be the lead agency during the early stages.

The current proposal is for a 139-mile pipeline from Lake Powell to the Sand Hollow Reservoir near St. George. From there, water would travel another 30 miles through a pipe to consumers in Cedar City. Project cost estimates from state and Washington County officials are between $500 million and $800 million, but opponents say the whole pipeline project will cost around $2 billion.

One factor that may impact the overall cost is whether the pipeline will have to bypass American Indian tribal land, which is the current plan. Utah Division of Water Resources director Dennis Strong told board members that negotiations are still open for the state to acquire rights of way on reservation territory, which would shorten the pipeline by five or six miles. A completed pipeline isn't expected until at least 2020.