With drought already here, Sen. John Curtis aims to help
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has already issued an emergency drought declaration for 17 of the state's 29 counties.
In southern Utah, the Virgin River is a shadow of itself and it is only May with the summer heat still left to come.
Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Tuesday introduced the Restoring WIFIA Eligibility Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation aimed at strengthening water quality and storage infrastructure across the western United States. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House.
A map released this month by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows much of Utah in shades of orange, tan, yellow — and southern Utah is dark red. The darker the color, the worse the drought.
'Sen. Curtis' legislation will enable water districts to invest in innovative projects like our Regional Reuse System, which will be critical as we face future droughts and increasing water demand,' said Zachary Renstrom, general manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District.
'By allowing federal loans that are repaid by local dollars to be used as the local match for WIFIA funding, water agencies can maximize community resources and secure a resilient water future for our residents.'
The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 established a program designed to provide credit assistance to public and private borrowers for wastewater, drinking water, and stormwater projects.
WIFIA loans offer attractive terms, including low, fixed-interest rates, flexible repayment schedules and the ability to draw funds as needed. This mechanism helps communities undertake crucial water infrastructure improvements more affordably, benefiting ratepayers and local economies.
But there have been problems with the law.
Certain interpretations of the program have inadvertently created hurdles for projects with any federal involvement, according to a press release.
These projects, while largely managed and funded by non-federal entities, have been erroneously classified as 'federal' for budgetary purposes. This classification has rendered them ineligible for WIFIA loans, which are statutorily available only to 'non-federal borrowers.'
Water managers are pleased with the potential fix.
'The legislation introduced by Sen. Curtis is a practical solution that will accelerate essential water infrastructure projects. Allowing federal loans, which are ultimately repaid by local dollars, to serve as the local match for WIFIA funding maximizes the impact of every dollar our communities invest,' said Gene Shawcroft, general manager of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District.
'This legislation will allow local water agencies to move forward with critical infrastructure projects that ensure continued compliance with federal regulatory requirements and the protection of public health.'
As water scarcity continues to grip much of the West, boosting infrastructure and ways to save water through storage and more efficient pipelines is critical.
Many of these systems are well past their prime, however, and suffer from inefficiencies such as leakage, size constraints and delivery issues.
There is also concern about the impacts of natural disasters and how they compromise aging systems badly in need of upgrades.
'After meeting with several water conservancy districts across Utah over the past few months, one thing is clear: Utah's rapid population growth is placing significant pressure on our community water resources,' Curtis said. 'This bipartisan legislation would make it easier for local governments and utilities to invest in critical water infrastructure projects — helping ensure we can meet the growing needs of our communities.'
The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District was involved in an $82 million project to construct a pipeline to shore up resiliency in a vital water delivery system serving 400,000 Davis County area residents.
Construction of the new water artery was propelled by the reality that if a significant earthquake struck the Wasatch Front, water delivery would likely cease.
'It's the lifeblood to Davis County for sure. It serves three water treatment plants as well as a lot of secondary irrigation,' said Scott Paxman, general manager of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District in a previous interview.
'But we're mostly concerned about the drinking water supply that we would be short. So by doing this, it really gives us some redundancy and resilience if we did have an earthquake in that area.'
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation last year chipped in some funding for an ambitious $1 billion project to save water and embark on critical updates in Washington County.
The effort includes new treatment facilities, advanced water purification technology, new conveyance pipelines and storage reservoirs.
When complete, the system is projected to produce more than 24,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2042, enough water to serve more than 40,000 new homes. The system includes multiple pump stations to bring water from lower to higher elevations for more efficient and cost effective delivery.
At Yuba Reservoir, construction upgrades were made to the Sevier Bridge Dam that impounds the body of water.
Yuba is the largest privately owned reservoir in the state and irrigates more than 70,000 acres of farmland and also provides water for the Intermountain Power Plant in Delta.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, there are approximately 15,600 dams in the United States classified as high hazard. And of those, 11,300 have a 'significant potential' classification that means not only probable loss of human life but economic consequences, environmental damage and disruption of lifeline facilities. Overall, there are 90,000 dams in the United States.
DMAD in Millard County also received a facelift for its dam. DMAD is named for the communities receiving irrigation water from it (Delta, Melville, Abraham and Deseret).
Structural integrity of dams in the West is vitally important and Utah is keenly aware of the challenge.
Since 95% of Utah's water comes from snowpack, having a 'bank' to store that water for drought and future supplies is critical.
'Federal irrigation, clean water, and wastewater projects are essential to rural areas like Central Washington, but a lack of resources for maintenance and repairs puts our water infrastructure at risk,' said Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash. 'This legislation gives our local water managers the tools they need to sustain long-term projects and guarantee clean, safe water that our communities, farmers, and ranchers rely on.'
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