Federal help sought over CUP

PROVO — South Utah County mayors are seeking federal intervention in what is shaping up as a water war with Salt Lake County and northern Utah County.

The 10 mayors recently fired off a letter to congressional representatives and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Gale Norton complaining that Central Utah Project water originally targeted for their area may be detoured north.

"Promises were made, money has been invested in designing the (Spanish Fork to Nephi) system . . . and communities have based future resource needs on the completion of the project," the letter reads.

"Fifty years of planning and design are now at risk due to last-minute changes."

At issue is 15,800 acre-feet of unallocated CUP water, the last drops of the 101,900 acre-feet that could flow through the Diamond Fork tunnel now under construction. The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District and the Metropolitan Water Conservancy District of Salt Lake and Sandy have already contracted for 84,510 acre-feet of the water through a Provo River exchange agreement involving Utah Lake. Some of the water is already being diverted north from Jordanelle Reservoir.

Completing the Diamond Fork project is key to making the exchange work, said Chris Finlinson, Central Utah Water Conservancy District spokeswoman.

"We can't really divert it all until we have replacement water in Utah Lake," she said.

The Salt Lake area conservancy districts and cities in north Utah County want the remaining 15,800 acre-feet of CUP water for future growth.

The water would come from the CUP's Bonneville Unit, which diverts Colorado River water from the Unita Basin for use along the Wasatch Front.

Southern Utah County water district and cities currently have 1,590 acre-feet of CUP water under contract. Most of it is unused because planned pressurized irrigation systems haven't been built.

"Their infrastructure is lagging behind," said Mark Breitenbach, CUP project manager.

The Diamond Fork project is to be completed by 2005 and is the final component in the water delivery system from Strawberry Reservoir to the Wasatch Front.

"The original intent was to supply water for south Utah County, Juab, Millard, Garfield and Piute counties," said Salem Mayor Randy Brailsford.

Most of those counties dropped out and the plan was scrapped in 1998. South Utah County and east Juab County are still in the fight.