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House Hearing: $1.25 Million Requested to Launch Bear River Planning
Summary
Presenters told lawmakers that Utah needs immediate funding — $1.25 million was requested — to complete the initial phase of Bear River planning, including site studies, conveyance analysis, environmental data and updated cost estimates; officials said large-scale development could take 10–15 years and cost roughly $250–300 million.
Lawmakers heard pleas from water-district officials and state staff to fund the first phase of planning for development of the Bear River, a multi-decade effort they say is needed to avoid shortages on the Wasatch Front.
An unidentified presenter opened the discussion by describing a 22-person committee that recommended beginning Bear River development and asked the legislature to appropriate $1,250,000 for an initial planning phase covering site selection and conveyance studies. "We need to begin to develop the Bear River," the presenter said, urging urgency and noting that the planning phase can take "10 to 15 years" before construction could begin.
Dave O'Bart, general manager of the Salt Lake County Water Conservancy, told the chamber that Salt Lake County has seen rapid growth for decades and is only just meeting demand with projects now underway. He highlighted near-term supplies the county expects from projects such as Jordanelle — which is projected to provide about 50,000 acre-feet if filled — and an exchange on the Provo and Jordan Rivers, but said these measures will not meet long-term needs.
Ivan Flint, general manager of the Weber Basin Conservancy District, said historical projects have sold most of their water allocations and that only about 30,000 acre-feet remain in Willard Bay. He said Weber Basin's studies indicate the district could be short of supply around 2008 unless new development occurs.
Larry Anderson, director of the State Division of Water Resources, described the newly circulated state water plan and the division's role in producing basin plans, including the Bear River Basin plan the division expected to complete by year-end. Anderson said the Bear River has an estimated 300,000 acre-feet of developable water but that water is available primarily in winter runoff and would require storage. He offered a ballpark development cost of $250 million to $300 million for bringing some of that yield to the Wasatch Front.
The State Engineer (unnamed in the record) cautioned that legal and allocation questions — including tribal water-rights priorities and interactions between surface and groundwater — complicate development and will require careful regulatory decisions. Lawmakers pressed for speed; some members said the state has a limited window to act so that a lost runoff season would not cost a year in planning.
Anderson said division modeling assumes completion of the Central Utah Project and Jordanelle Dam and projected that available CUP supplies would be largely absorbed by roughly 2010–2015, increasing the need for new sources such as the Bear River. He also called attention to chapter 17 of the state water plan as a source of conservation measures the division hopes to promote.
No formal vote was recorded during the presentation. The $1.25 million appropriation was described as a bill currently before the House that would provide funds to the Division of Water Resources to continue Bear River planning; presenters characterized it as an early-phase planning request rather than authorization to build. Officials said the planning work would gather environmental and water-quality data, update cost estimates, and examine alternatives and conveyance options before any construction decisions.
The hearing moved on after the presentations; the record shows speakers urged prompt action and pointed to lengthy lead times and significant costs associated with any Bear River development.
