The 30th anniversary of the largest, most comprehensive federal water resource-development project in the state of Utah was celebrated by federal, state and local officials last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced last month.
Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo and local, state and federal "partners" commemorated the 1992 Central Utah Project Completion Act (CUPCA) anniversary on Oct. 28, the DOI announced at the time. The partners discussed progress made in completing the Central Utah Project (CUP) and continuing efforts to mitigate ongoing drought in the country's western states, the announcement reports.
“Over the past 30 years, thanks to this incredible partnership, we’ve seen innovative projects and programs completed that are making it possible to deliver water to 1.5 million people every day," Trujillo said in the announcement. "This collaboration is a model for how we can work together on the pressing drought challenges facing the West."
CUP, authorized in 1956 under the Colorado River Storage Project Act, transports water from the Colorado River Basin in the eastern part of Utah, to the western side of the Wasatch Mountain range, the DOI reports, providing water for municipal, industrial, irrigation, hydroelectric power, wildlife and recreation.
"The project provides Utah with the opportunity to beneficially use a sizable portion of its allotted share of the Colorado River water," the DOI report states. "Project irrigation water will be provided to Utah's rural areas in the Uintah and Bonneville basins. Water will also be provided to meet the municipal and industrial requirements of the most highly developed part of the State along the Wasatch Front."
The Bureau of Reclamation split the large and complex CUP into six units: the Vernal, Jensen, Bonneville, Upalco units, authorized by the 1956 CRSP Act; and the Ute Indian and Uintah units, authorized by the 1968 Colorado River Basin Project Act.
"Over the decades since the CUP’s authorization, the changing political climate, budget priorities, and emerging environmental concerns have resulted in many changes to the project," the DOI states in its overview of the project.
"The Vernal and Jensen Units were completed; plans for the Upalco, Uintah, and Ute Indian Units were never realized and the Ute Indian Unit was de-authorized;" DOI reports, "the purpose and components of the Bonneville Unit have evolved; and the passage of (CUPCA) in 1992 has altered the planning, oversight, and areas of responsibility for the Bonneville Unit."
CUPCA authorized additional funding for the project and gave the Central Utah Water Conservancy District responsibility for planning, designing and constructing remaining CUP initiatives.
President Joseph Biden's Bipartisan infrastructure Law designates $8.3 billion for water-infrastructure projects to "advance drought resilience and expand access to clean water for families, farmers and wildlife," which includes $50 million for the completion of the Utah Lake System pipeline construction, the report states. The funding will support water delivery to Salt Lake and Utah counties, increase water security and help communities prepare for changing climate conditions.
“New investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help address current and future water needs," Trujillo said in the announcement, "and deliver meaningful results for Utahns and the American people.”
