Lake Powell Pipeline Environmental Studies Continue

The State of Utah’s 2011, Initial Draft Study Reports of Utah Board of Water Resources, for the Lake Powell Pipeline (LPP) project were submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and released for public comment March 11, 2011.

After two years of study by the State of Utah’s, Board of Water Resources (UBWR) the public had the opportunity to comment on their draft study reports. These draft study reports included detailed information on the first 22 of the 23 environmental issues. The final draft study report #23, the Ethnographic Study, is expected to be available this summer for comment.

After this comment period the UBWR or FERC may adjust the study report and may require the UBWR to provide more information for the studies before they will consider them to be complete. The study reports will be used as the basis for the alternatives in Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). FERC is the lead agency and will approve the hydropower portion of the project. The Bureau of Reclamation will approve the water rights being used out of Lake Powell. The Department of Interior agencies and Bureau of Land Management will approve the right-of-way across federal land for the LPP.

The LPP environmental review is in two phases:

The first phase started in 2008 gathering information needed to get a preliminary hydro power permit from the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) through its Integrated Licensing Process (ILP). Citizens for Dixie’s Future has been commenting since 2008 on what should be included in the environmental studies.

Phase two of the process starts after FERC approves the UBWR’s draft study reports. Then FERC will hire a contractor to complete a draft EIS. This will be another two year process.

CDF’s comments on draft study reports. (Here)

Climate Change and its Impact on the Colorado River

Attachment (“A”) (Here)

Our concerns about the Lake Powell Pipeline studies include: (read more here……)

Next Steps

During this planning phase, the UBWR will be reviewing all the draft study report comments to determine whether there is a need to expand or modify the draft study reports. If there is a dispute among agencies FERC will decide what is included in the final studies used as the basis for the alternatives in the draft EIS.