SB119 Water Calculation Reveals Desperation
– By Lisa Rutherford –
During the seventeen years, I’ve followed water issues in Utah, gallons per capita per day use has been calculated by dividing delivered/diverted water by the population of the area using that water.
Bill SB119 (Per Capita Consumptive Use) intends to change water use calculation to a consumptive method.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator McKell, asserts that Utah is the only state that doesn’t use the consumptive method, hence our high usage number.
But, consider New Mexico’s largest water provider. The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority’s “WATER 2120: Securing Our Water Future” defines their gpcd as follows: Water usage rate is defined as the total water produced from all sources divided by the population (Water Usage Rate = Total water produced / Population) and is expressed in gallons per capita per day (gpcd).
That has resulted in usage of around 125 gpcd for their area of approximately 600,000 residents.
Thus, they are not reporting their water according to Senator McKell’s consumptive method. They are reporting basically the same way that Utah’s been doing for years.
To learn more about consumptive measure, I contacted John Fleck, a water expert with the University of New Mexico. John serves on water panels, is often quoted regarding Colorado River issues, and has authored several books.
John confirmed that “Albuquerque’s water authority uses ‘delivery/diversion’.” John went on to say, “The problem is that pretty much everyone uses diversion because it’s a straightforward calculation, and consumptive use calculations are non-trivial. Las Vegas is a rare case where the calculation is easy. This is why the USGS abandoned consumption calculations 15 or 20 years ago and only does diversions.”
John also noted that if Albuquerque Bernalillo used the consumptive method their gpcd would be about 60 to 70 gpcd — half what they now report.
According to the State of Utah’s water data site, the state’s gpcd as of 2020 (latest official) was 256 gpcd. And Washington County’s, where I live, was 285 gpcd. I suppose if we use the consumptive method and our numbers are halved, as John Fleck suggested for the Albuquerque area, our state and Washington County figures might be 128 gpcd and 143 gpcd, respectively, still higher than Albuquerque’s.
A Utah Rivers Council website has a chart comparing average per capita municipal water use in various Southwest cities. The information may be a little dated, but Las Vegas’ gpcd is shown as 203 gpcd, Tucson’s 122 gpcd, and Phoenix’s 111 gpcd. So, even if Utah adopts this new calculation method, our numbers may still end up being higher than some who are competing for Colorado River water.
That’s what this is all about. Utah is trying to position itself better during these contentious Colorado River negotiations. That was made clear by SB119’s sponsor. He stated that he could not believe that Utahns who oppose this bill would want us to look bad during this difficult time. We don’t want Utah to look bad, but we don’t want gamesmanship either!
Even worse, unmetered secondary water is not measured under the new plan. That’s a large portion of our state’s water use. Those who use unmetered secondary water have until 2030 to have it metered. So, until then, under this new system, apparently that use will not be counted — at least, not in the new ‘official’ count, which I’m pretty sure will be the figure Utah uses in the Colorado River negotiations.
This bill looks like desperation to me. Do Senator McKell and other proponents really think that the other six Colorado River Basin states and Department of Interior won’t know what’s going on with this finagling?
This bill was passed in the Utah House and Senate in mid-February and has been signed by Governor Cox. I had hoped that the governor would recognize the foolishness of this effort to make our water use look better than it is. Glad I did not hold my breath!
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Why are you basing your opinions on what’s happening in New Mexico? Why are you going to “experts” in New Mexico for your information?
This is Utah, and we have “experts” here also and they are experts on Utah’s water issues specifically, so why don’t you talk to WCWCD GM Zachary Renstrom to get your “Utah” figures and information?
We have major water issues, and in my opinion the biggest issue is lack of communication among our elected leaders. I attend WCWCD meetings, and at one they had a third party evaluation discussed. The findings were that even if we are able to build all the reservoirs (5) and are able to reduce consumption from .89 acre feet to .59 acre feet per household we won’t have enough water to meet demand in 5 years.
So is Utah in a “desperate” situation? YES! but that’s not stopping growth. Which is obviously not sustainable as far as water is concerned. As well as infrastructure, but that’s another can of worms.
If you think New Mexico is doing it right, then maybe you should return home. Because New Mexico and Utah (especially southern Utah) have to very different water problems, and Utah is what I’m concerned about, since I live here.
I went to New Mexico experts to verify the bill’s sponsor’s assertion that “everyone uses consumption” to calculate water use numbers, which is clear is not correct for “everyone.” I’ve been tracking water and the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline issue for 17 years, and what I hear from Utah’s “experts” is just manipulation. You can believe what you want to believe as I will believe what I want. Yes, Utah has a different water situation from New Mexico, but that doesn’t change the facts of my piece. You might find this article interesting, or not: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/opinion/2023/03/19/your-turn-the-colorado-river-wont-save-us/70018968007/.
Regardless of the ‘different’ water problems, Utah remains a water wasting State! Water is water, no matter where it comes from. The WCWCD is irresponsible in its management of water and has never been transparent in the way is spends taxpayer dollars to ‘justify’ the LPP. Our State, County and City leaders are irresponsible for allowing such unmitigated development. They all ignore the fact that this is a DESERT and not the Congo. There simply is not enough water to support such a water wasting population! The size of a community should be limited to the availability of LOCAL water resources!
Gary, I’m with you!