The Central Iron County Water Conservancy District wants new sources of water so communities in the Cedar Valley in Utah can continue to grow. It's a story as old as the American West.
Gabrielle Canon reports for the Guardian on a controversial effort by cities located in Cedar Valley, Utah to secure more water for continued growth.
The ground in Cedar Valley is sinking and splintering. Fissures that snake through the region are a visible sign of Utah’s water woes, and the result of years spent overdrawing from an underground aquifer that supplies the area. [....] And yet Cedar City, at the heart of the valley, continues to grow. Visitors flock to nearby national parks such as Zion and Bryce Canyon, adding to the flow of new residents expected to move here in the coming years. Cedar City is already the most populous in Utah’s Iron county, and finding more water has become an existential quest.
To find more water to continue growing, Cedar Valley has identified nearby Beaver County as a potential source for new water import projects. The proposal has provoked opposition from environmentalists, ranchers, tribes, and officials from other counties, according to the article. The Central Iron County Water Conservancy District (CICWCD) has been seeking water from the Beaver Valley since 2006, according to the article, and has already cleared several legal hurdles, including a 2019 settlement that "cleared the way for the agency to seek federal approval to begin pumping," according to Canon. Still, any project to draw water from Beaver Valley will require approval from the Bureau of Land Management.
The controversy is familiar: "The battle is just the latest frontline in the water wars of the American west that have defined Utah’s history," writes Canon. Planetizen has been tracking water controversies in Utah over the years, including a recent decision by the town of Oakley to halt all development due to water supply uncertainties.
- Utah Debates Solutions to Water Shortage (December 2021)
- Utah Wants to Build Water Pipeline Amid Historic Shortages (September 2021)
- Water Supply Concerns Prompt Development Moratorium in Utah Town (June 2021)
- Changes for Big Pipeline Project to Connect Utah to the Colorado River (September 2019)
- This Is What Really, Really Cheap Water Is Actually Costing Utah (March 2018)
Read the full story: A Utah town is running dry. Its solution stoked an age-old water war
Planning Trends for 2026: States and Cities Take Initiative, Passenger Rail Gains Steam, and the Costs of AI Revealed
With federal funding for everything from transportation projects to housing assistance under threat, city and state governments are poised to take a stronger role in building strong, resilient local economies and public services.
Winter Storm Knocks Out Drinking Water Systems in the South, Including in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi made headlines and incurred a civil rights investigation earlier this year when flooding knocked out the city’s drinking water supply. This week’s winter storm had the same effect on Jackson as well as other Southern cities.
Superfund Project to Deliver Massive Water Supply Boon to Los Angeles
The semi-arid region of Los Angeles is often mistaken for a desert, but the local water supply is also constrained by the environmental sins of the 20th century. The water supply equation of Los Angeles will soon change, however.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Housing is the top priority of Seattle’s sole new councilmember
Jenks campaigned on building 1,000 new units of affordable housing.
New tax cuts may slash $1.5 billion in funding for Miami transit, public parks
Amendment 3 will save Miami-Dade residents homeowners $2,700 in 2028.
Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania hope to finally advance climate goals post-midterms
The three states have spent years under Republican or divided control.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority