Magna water project feasible but not funded, Obama administration says

The Obama administration delivered good and bad news Tuesday to the Magna Water District in Salt Lake County — but mostly bad.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor told the House Natural Resources Water subcommittee that his agency has certified that a water reuse project proposed by Magna is feasible, which is a needed first step toward federal funding for it.

But then the bad news: Connor said the administration opposes a bill to allow federal funding for Magna's project anyway. He said too many other water reuse projects nationally have already been approved and are in line for funding far into the horizon, so it makes no sense to approve any more.

"We have basically a $600 million backlog," he said, even after spending $135 million extra from the stimulus on such projects.

"Given that backlog and given the available resources at this time, that is the basis for the position that we are not supporting new project authorizations," Connor said.

Also hurting Magna was that the committee was considering four other reuse projects at the same time from California and Oregon — none of which are yet certified as feasible — but the administration chose to oppose the whole group.

Magna is seeking up to $12 million in federal funding for a $51 million project. In part, it would build an electrodialysis reversal plant to remove perchlorate (a chemical found in rocket fuel and explosives) and arsenic from a well field. That treated water would be used in the district's drinking-water system.

The project would also use a "bioreactor" process developed by the water district to treat effluent from the EDR facility, and water from that would be used for outdoor irrigation and to recharge well fields.

When Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, introduced the bill to help Magna, he pointed out he was pushing the bill to authorize the project instead of trying to seek money for the project by simply earmarking funds for it in a spending bill.

Meanwhile, Connor and the Obama administration had better news at the same hearing for the Uintah Water Conservancy District based in Vernal.

Connor said the administration supports a bill by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to allow that district to prepay the federal government for development of water from the Red Fleet dam to save interest on otherwise long-term payments required by contracts.

Scott Ruppe, general manager of the Uintah district, testified that "will substantially reduce the cost of water to the district" and "will also produce a substantial payment to the federal treasury, which we estimate to be between $4 million and $5 million."

Both bills will next be considered at a business meeting of the subcommittee.

e-mail: lee@desnews.com