Thompson Addresses Water Usage

Jack Petersen and June McAfee greeted Rotarians, visitors and guests to the 3716th meeting of St. George Rotary. Ray Robinson led the SGR choir in a rousing version of “God Bless America.” Lee Warren invited those in attendance to follow him in the Pledge of Allegiance. June McAfee asked for the blessings of heaven on the meeting and the meal. David Clark took the podium for a spirited Horseplay to benefit the Polio Plus program with Shar Heitkotter collecting the fines.

Announcements: Mark Armstrong reminded members to look in their e-mailboxes for their electronic invoices for quarterly dues. Ken Seefeld noted he had hard copies for anyone who might prefer that format instead. Members with questions about their billings are encouraged to contact Ken or Mark directly.

June McAfee expressed her appreciation for the efforts of members to distribute dictionaries in 17 elementary schools in the county. There are three schools yet to receive their books, but distribution is scheduled for this week.

The club Christmas party is tentatively planned during lunch on Monday, December 15. Watch for more information.

Program: Jeannine Holt introduced Ron Thompson, Executive Director of the Washington County Water Conservancy District which organization oversees 72,588 acre feet of developed water. Thompson indicated two power plants in the area generate approximately $1 million in revenues for the county. Projects in various stages of completion include Crystal Lake (scheduled for completion in 2010); Sand Hollow on the southern corridor ; Anasazi Tank which will help level the arsenic levels in local reservoirs from 70 parts per million to 10 parts per million based on the most recent federal directives. Other projects include the Warner Valley pipeline (2014) and the Anderson Junction Reservoir. The Water Conservancy District is also in the process of construction of a new building on the Red Hills Parkway.

According to the "5 foot, 20 inch" executive director, 47% of water is consumed in the county for commercial use. 38.7% is consumed by fulltime residents and another 14.3% is used by part time residents and visitors. In order to meet the water demands of an ever-growing population in Southern Utah, the Utah Department of Water Resources and Washington, Kane and Iron counties are in the planning stages for the construction of the Lake Powell Pipeline. This pipeline will convey water from Lake Powell to Sand Hollow Reservoir. The 139 miles of pipe will bring 10,000 acre-feet of water to Kane County, 70,000 acre-feet of water to Washington County and 20,000 acre-feet of water to Iron County. The project will be funded at an interest rate of 3-4% shared in the state and region. Construction will begin in 2015 with water delivery scheduled to begin in 2020.