During National Infrastructure Week, Washington County Water Conservancy District focuses on development
By Karry Rathje
The Washington County Water Conservancy District is pleased to support the sixth annual National Infrastructure Week May 14–21.
This year’s Infrastructure Week message, “The future won’t wait. Neither can we. It’s #TimeToBuild,” illustrates the value of infrastructure in the United States and the need to continue investing in it. Studies show that to meet our nation’s current and future infrastructure demands, we need to increase investment by $2 trillion by 2025. Research also estimates that for every billion dollars in federal investment in infrastructure, more than 13,000 American jobs are created and supported.
“We invite residents to think about the infrastructure that keeps our community safe and prosperous,” said Ron Thompson, district general manager. “From water and wastewater systems to transportation, energy, and communications, we all use and depend on infrastructure.”
Most of southern Utah’s water infrastructure was built during the last three decades to keep pace with a population that has more than tripled during that same timeframe. These investments in infrastructure will carry the county through a “below abysmal” water year. Current stream flow estimates for the Virgin River are expected to be in the range of 12–35 percent of average.
“Washington County will live off reservoir storage this year,” said Thompson. “Thankfully, our community had the foresight to build an interconnected water system, which prepares us for periods like this. Sand Hollow Reservoir is currently 96 percent full, and Quail Creek Reservoir is 78 percent full.”
“But our job isn’t done,” added Thompson. “The district continues building infrastructure today to meet imminent needs. Some of our biggest projects — such as the Lake Powell Pipeline, which will add a second source of water to our community and more than triple the district’s water supply — are the future of our community. National Infrastructure Week’s tagline of ‘The future won’t wait. Neither can we. It’s time to build’ sums things up pretty well.”
The district’s current water infrastructure includes more than 250 miles of pipeline; multiple treatment, filtration and pumping systems; diversion dams; storage tanks; and reservoirs. On average, Washington County’s drinking water travels more than 100 miles and goes through more than four hours of treatment processes to ensure that it meets or exceeds safe drinking water standards before hitting the tap. The district also moves water between municipalities to meet demands.
While water shortages and additional restrictions are not expected in Washington County, the district encourages all water users to continue with water conservation efforts, including planting water-efficient landscapes and compliance with mandatory watering schedules and time-of-day watering restrictions.
The Washington County Water Conservancy District is a not-for-profit public agency established in 1962 to manage southern Utah’s regional water needs. The district oversees the development, stabilization, management, acquisition, and conservation of water resources in Washington County in an ongoing effort to provide a safe, reliable water supply for current and future generations. Visit wcwcd.org for more information.
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