An audit reveals that the WCWCD can afford the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, but whether or not citizens can afford it remains to be seen.
An audit reveals that the WCWCD can afford the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, but whether or not citizens can afford it remains to be seen.

State audit reveals Washington County can afford Lake Powell Pipeline. Can citizens?

The August 2019 audit by the state’s Auditor General’s office reveals that the Washington County Water Conservancy District can afford the cost of the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, but the question of whether or not citizens can afford it remains to be answered. A taxing entity can always raise taxes and fees but that doesn’t mean citizens are able to absorb those increases easily or equitably.

Years ago, when the Lake Powell Pipeline project first became a topic of conversation locally, our WCWCD manager Ron Thompson stated in many newspaper articles and at events that “growth would pay” for the pipeline. It’s clear from this audit that while growth will only pay for part of the cost of the pipeline, vigorous growth will be required nonetheless. Sure, growth impact fees will catch newcomers, but they will also catch existing citizens who want to upgrade to a new home. However, impact fees are not the only resources the district plans to tap. Also included with impact fees are increased water rates and increased property taxes.

Even as the audit asserts that the district can repay the debt, it also acknowledges that “revenue sources are subject to future uncertainty.” Where could that uncertainty take us? Once the pipeline is built, contractors must be paid. The debt is on the books, and there is an obligation to pay. The district may be able to raise impact fees, water rates, and property taxes, but at what cost to citizens? More unaffordable housing in our county? Water rates so high that usage plummets, making the Lake Powell Pipeline unnecessary, as I and many assert it already is?

The following rates will need to increase to enable repayment by the district:

—Impact fees are planned to increase by up to $1,000 annually from the 2017 fee of $7,417 through 2026, reaching $15,448.

—Wholesale water rates are planned to increase by $0.10 annually from the 2016 rate of $0.84 to $3.84 per 1,000 gallons.

—Property taxes are planned to increase from the 2018 rate of 0.0648 percent to 0.1 percent by 2025.

Also, the $3.84 per 1,000 gallons is “wholesale” only. Once the “wholesale” water reaches Washington County cities, they will raise their rates to accommodate their ability to repay the district. So whether rates go up to help people conserve or they go up to help pay for the Lake Powell Pipeline, they will go up. Personally, I’d prefer to pay more for the water I use without having to carry the pipeline’s burden for impact fees and property taxes as well.

The water district already plans to raise property taxes to 0.1 percent by 2030; however, the audit asserts that they would need to be raised even before then.

The audit asserts that property taxes provide a more stable source of income to the district. What then would happen to people’s property taxes if growth does not provide the impact-fee and water-rate support needed to pay the debt? How high will property taxes climb? Should we really count on our county’s growth to save the day?

The audit even identifies uncertainties in the 2006 Lake Powell Pipeline Act concerning repayment by the county — uncertainties that make it unclear whether or not the county must repay the interest due to the state on the loans for the project. In fact, the audit models used $1.8–$2.4 billion as repayment figures — which do not include interest on the loan. For many years, leaders have asserted that the repayment requirement is very clear. Apparently, that’s not true (who knew, right?), and different methods evaluated in the audit can mean a big difference for Washington County residents who will be on the hook for impact fees, water rates, and property taxes to repay.

So if that interest must be repaid, is the pipeline really affordable for the district? That remains unclear.

Also unclear is how the “contracts” for water must be paid and whether or not there is an actual repayment time limit. Perhaps the county could leave the state on the hook for this for a very long time, leaving the state in a position where money for other needs may be lacking. If the legislature does not address these repayment concerns, the decisions will be left to unelected officials of the Board of Water Resources.

What if growth slows? The audit states: “The ability to generate this revenue growth is dependent on planned rate and fee increases occurring coupled with the realization of estimated population growth set forth by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.” Since Utah’s 2011 Water Needs Assessment population projection of 860,000 by 2060, our population projection has dropped over 400,000 new residents. Given that record, it’s safe to say that it might decrease again in the future. Perhaps as people continue to learn about the problems western and southwestern states face with water scarcity, they will reconsider whether a move to southern Utah is a wise decision.

Finally, but not least importantly, the audit only evaluated the projected cost of the Lake Powell Pipeline and the district’s financial ability to repay. The audit’s first paragraph admits: “Washington County’s future needs for water and the availability of water in the county and Lake Powell were not within the scope of this audit.” So is it really fair to uncouple the ability of our district to pay from any actual need in this county? Surely “need” should be part of the decision, but an honest discussion about that is not being had. Excessive water use continues to drive the need. Perhaps the biggest question is not really whether or not we afford the pipeline but rather whether or not it will actually deliver the water that leaders think it will. With Colorado River flow projections heading downward, only Mother Nature knows for sure.

The viewpoints expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Independent.

How to submit an article, guest opinion piece, or letter to the editor to The Independent

Do you have something to say? Want your voice to be heard by thousands of readers? Send The Independent your letter to the editor or guest opinion piece. All submissions will be considered for publication by our editorial staff. If your letter or editorial is accepted, it will run on suindependent.com, and we’ll promote it through all of our social media channels. We may even decide to include it in our monthly print edition. Just follow our simple submission guidelines and make your voice heard:

—Submissions should be between 300 and 1,500 words.

—Submissions must be sent to editor@infowest.com as a .doc, .docx, .txt, or .rtf file.

—The subject line of the email containing your submission should read “Letter to the editor.”

—Attach your name to both the email and the document file (we don’t run anonymous letters).

—If you have a photo or image you’d like us to use and it’s in .jpg format, at least 1200 X 754 pixels large, and your intellectual property (you own the copyright), feel free to attach it as well, though we reserve the right to choose a different image.

—If you are on Twitter and would like a shout-out when your piece or letter is published, include that in your correspondence and we’ll give you a mention at the time of publication.

Articles related to “State audit reveals Washington County can afford Lake Powell Pipeline. Can citizens?”

Debunking the Lake Powell Pipeline

Lake Powell Pipeline pipedream is nothing more than a nightmare

Water conservation and the Lake Powell Pipeline: A conundrum

Click This Ad
Previous articleSouthern Utah Art Guild’s “Color Explosion” art show features local artists
Next articleThe Wages of Sin: Global warming is a real problem
Lisa Rutherford
Originally from New Mexico, Lisa taught elementary school for several years in Texas after graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso before moving to Anchorage, Alaska, where she lived for 30 years and worked in the oil industry for 20 years. She has lived in Ivins for 21 years. Since 2006, Lisa has been involved with Conserve Southwest Utah, a local and grassroots conservation organization, as a board member and currently serves as an advisor. Lisa served on the Ivins Sensitive Lands Committee from 2008 to 2022, including serving as chairperson. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Southwest Utah. Lisa wrote for The Spectrum’s Writers Group from 2010 until it was disbanded in 2015. Her writing focuses mainly on conservation issues to help raise the level of awareness in southern Utah. She and her companion Paul Van Dam, former Utah Attorney General, have been deeply involved in the Lake Powell Pipeline issue since 2008. She maintains a Southern Utah Issues Facebook page.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here