Board extends Lake Powell Pipeline consulting and federal task-order contracts two years; no new funding added
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Summary
The Board extended the Stantec consulting contract and the Bureau of Reclamation task order for the Lake Powell Pipeline through 2027, citing slow progress amid ongoing Colorado River interstate negotiations; both extensions add no funds and passed by unanimous vote.
The Utah Board of Water Resources voted to amend two contracts tied to continued planning work on the Lake Powell Pipeline, extending a Stantec consulting agreement through Dec. 31, 2027, and a Bureau of Reclamation task order through Sept. 30, 2027; staff said no additional funds will be provided with either amendment.
Eric Dixon, Division of Water Resources staff, told the board that broader uncertainty and slow resolution of interstate Colorado River negotiations have reduced federal activity on the Lake Powell Pipeline. He said the Bureau of Reclamation’s work has been minimized pending agreement among basin states and that some ethnographic study updates and alignment alternatives still require analysis.
Dixon said the Bureau of Reclamation task order is set to expire Sept. 30, and staff recommended a two-year extension through Sept. 30, 2027, with no additional federal funds attached to the state’s amendment. He also recommended extending the Stantec contract, which staff said currently expires at the end of this year, for two additional years through Dec. 31, 2027, again without additional state funds.
The board approved both contract amendments in separate motions and recorded unanimous affirmative votes. Board members emphasized that the extensions are administrative and do not change funding levels; staff will continue limited technical work while interstate Colorado River negotiations proceed.
Background/context: staff noted that basin-state negotiations over Colorado River operations and use remain active; the lack of a finalized basin-state resolution has slowed permitting and major design work associated with the pipeline.