News Release Archive

Reclamation Continues Water Exchange Negotiation with State of Utah for Lake Powell Pipeline

Media Contact: Marlon Duke, 385-228-4845, mduke@usbr.gov
Andrew Kirby, 385-497-3488, akirby@usbr.gov

For Release: January 11, 2018

SALT LAKE CITY – The Bureau of Reclamation and State of Utah are continuing negotiations for a water exchange contract, which proposes exchanging the state’s assigned Green River water right for use of Colorado River Storage Project water released from Flaming Gorge Dam. The next negotiation meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 18, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. with a public open house scheduled at 1:00 p.m. The open house and meeting will be held at the Utah State Library Division, 250 North 1950 West, Room 227, Salt Lake City, UT 84116. This meeting will continue negotiations that began on December 4, 2017 in St. George, Utah.

The exchange will provide Utah with a reliable and certain water supply, while assisting Reclamation in meeting its legal obligations. It will enable part of the state’s Colorado River apportionment to flow from Flaming Gorge Dam to Lake Powell for diversion into Utah’s proposed Lake Powell Pipeline. This water exchange negotiation is unrelated to the environmental process associated with the state’s Lake Powell Pipeline project.

The negotiation meeting is open to the public. The public will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments pertaining to the exchange during both the open house period immediately prior to formal negotiations as well as during a comment period following the negotiation session. The proposed exchange contract and other pertinent documents will be available at the negotiation meeting or can be obtained on Reclamation’s website at: https://www.usbr.gov/uc/provo/index.html, under “Current Focus.”

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.