In the news on CNN, the water needs and solutions of the cities with increasing population in the southern region of the state of Utah were mentioned.
One of the fastest growing settlements in the USA, St. It was pointed out that the city of George has an uncertain future if a pipeline is not laid to pump water from Lake Powel, 225 kilometers away.
It was underlined that Lake Powel, fed by the Colorado River and the second largest water source in the USA, is still at its lowest water level since the 1960s, when it was built as a dam despite the snow and rain falling this winter.
Zach Renstrom, Managing Director of the Washington County Water Conservancy, said that although they use the available water very sparingly, Power Lake’s water is needed for long-term growth.
It was stated in the Utah State Assembly that the necessary legislation was passed in 2006 for the project of pumping water from the Power Lake, but environmental groups were opposed to laying the pipeline on the grounds that it would harm the ecosystem.
“Now it’s our turn, the state of Utah must get its fair share.”
Chris Hard, the mayor of Ivins, the other city in the Washington County region, reminded that water resources have been used for the development of cities in California, Arizona and Nevada over the years, “Now it’s our turn, the state of Utah must take its share, the work to continue to develop, eventually Powell It shows that a pipeline will be needed.” said.
Brad Udall, a water and climate scientist from Colorado State University, pointed out that the water in Powel Lake has decreased at a record level and warned that if the water level drops a little more, the water passage to the Colorado River, to which millions of people are connected, will be cut off.
“If the water fails to cross the dam, farmlands and cities like Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix will not be able to receive water, and the dam’s hydroelectric power plant will also be out of service,” Udall said. used the phrase.
Reminding that the occupancy rate of Lake Mead in Colorado, the largest water source in the USA, and Lake Powell, the second largest water source in Utah, was around 95 percent before the 23-year mega-drought affecting the west of America, Udall said that the occupancy rate in both lakes was around 95 percent. reported that the rate was around one in four.
In a study conducted in October 2022 by World Weather Atif, an international group of scientists investigating the link between global warming and extreme weather events, it was reported that drought in the Northern Hemisphere last summer has become 20 times more likely due to climate change.