New email records between federal officials and contractors for the Central Iron County Water District show that there are major plans in the works to re-start the water-stealing Cedar City Pipeline and Water Grab. The 343 pages of documents reveal pre-decisional chatter between federal officials and surrogates for the water district about getting the project across the finish line.
The project targets Utah’s West Desert along the border with Nevada. The three-phase effort aims to pump and pipe more than 26,000 acre feet annually (8 billion gallons every year) from Pine Valley, Wah Wah Valley and eventually take an additional 10,000 acre feet every year from Hamlin Valley. The groundwater is part of the Great Salt Lake Desert Interbasin flow system, which connects to the Great Salt Lake’s groundwater system. It will siphon water away from special places, communities and the natural world.
These emails confirm our fears that Iron County water officials are hoping the Trump Administration will re-start the project permitting process that was officially paused in 2023 after GBWN, Indian Peaks Band of Paiute, Beaver County (UT) and other local governments built a coalition that paused the project.
We knew that victory would likely be temporary, and we are now mobilizing — once again — to push back against this boondoggle.
USGS models confirm the proposed groundwater pumping of this project will siphon water away from Utah’s West Desert. The Valleys near Great Basin National Park, Notch Peak, and Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge face impacts, according to USGS data. Drawdown will expand into the already over-pumped Escalante Desert and the Sevier Desert. The project will also harm the water rights of the Indian Peaks Band of Paiute and local agricultural producers.
Regarding tribal water matters, documents reveal that as of late last year the BLM had made zero progress on resolving tribal water issues. Utah has a long history of disregarding the Indian Peaks Band. And this is another example of the blatant disregard for tribal rights as humans, as sovereign nations, and as native peoples of North America.
If officials are serious about water law and the laws of humanity, they cannot approve this project. We will provide more updates soon.
