Can Southwest Utah’s Water Supply Handle its Explosive Growth?

The region around St. George, Utah was the fastest-growing metro area in the nation for two years running, reports Bill Weir for CNN. But with Southwestern reservoirs, mainly supplied by the Colorado River, at historic lows, local officials warn that the future of the region is in peril.

Can a heavily conservative, regulation-averse county support strict water conservation measures? So far, general manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District Zach Renstrom “has managed to help pass some of the strictest water laws in the West,” Weir writes. “In a bright-red county in a state allergic to regulations, there is a ban on growing grass outside new businesses,” and a home’s landscaping can consist of just 8 percent grass lawn.

Matt Rice, Southwest Region Director of the nonprofit American Rivers, told CNN that officials should focus their efforts on conservation rather than finding new sources of water, such as a proposed pipeline that would supply Utah from Lake Powell, which is at its lowest water level in history.

More on the Colorado River water crisis:

• The Water Crisis Comes Home to Roost in Arizona
• California Rejects Six-State Colorado River Plan, Proposes Its Own
• Arizona Tapping Groundwater to Fuel Suburban Growth

• Colorado River Compact Needs 21st Century Update