WATER IS LIFE

On paper, the Navajo Nation is drenched in water. Under the "first in line, first in right" principle that defines water use in the West, the Diné have first dibs on the same declining supply that serves Washington County, Ut which has roughly as many people on one-tenth the land: the Colorado River, its tributaries, and two underlying aquifers. Yet little of it reaches them. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Arizona v. Navajo Nation, that the federal government has no obligation to provide water to the Navajo Nation. But then, the most important effort to exercise "first rights'' was already in peril.

The Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project aims to deliver treated water from the San Juan River to 240.000 people via 300 miles of pipes. Conceived in the 1960s and begun in 2009, the $2.1 billion project must be completed by Dec. 31 or the Navajo Nation loses its right to that water. It won't be. Hopes now reside in U.S. House Bill 3977, which would extend the deadline to 2029 and appropriate $689.45 million to finish the job.

Washington County has a $2 billion water project of its own-one of the most ambitious and contentious in U.S. history. The Lake Powell Pipeline would involve 13 pumping stations pushing water up 2,000 ft. across 140 miles. The Washington County Water Conservancy District
(locally known as the District) calls the project critical to a population that demographers predict may double by midcentury.

Here is a place drenched not on paper, but in fact. Thousands of swimming pools glitter like diamonds in a desert bounded by green rectangles of Kentucky bluegrass. A local economy embracing tourism promotes the comforts of an oasis: shady tree canopies, ornamental fountains, manicured landscaping, and a few miles outside St. George, a new $1 billion golf resort-the county's 17th. News outlets in the 2010s put daily water consumption at over 300 gal. per person. Today, the District claims 153 gal. Either figure towers over the 5 gal. used daily by the Diné, who must drive miles over rough roads to collect it.

"Water is life" Monument Valley resident Tom Holiday says, waiting for the 300-gal. tank in the back of his truck to fill. “People in the cities take it for granted and water their plants and grass. Here it's precious. We think of water as a deity"

In places where water is scarce, living as if it were plentiful is no longer in fashion. The Lake Powell Pipeline is derided as a literal pipe dream by the conservation groups, tribes, and states that have delayed its approval.
Under general manager Zach Renstrom, the District pivoted to water conservation, committing to a 20-year plan that will require vast sums of federal and state dollars, plus local fees, to maximize existing supplies: create a $1 billion Regional Reuse System; and add 6o more miles to 275 miles of pipeline and 18 more wells, some up to a mile deep to the 30 already in use.- Time Inc, Sept 30, 2024

Chuck Goode, candidate for Washington County Commission, calls this "too little, too late". He proposes a technological solution of harvesting rainwater and dehumidifying water from the air as a secondary source of sustainable water. Recycling this water in every home cuts water use by 50% with less cost, more self-sufficiency and less environmental impact. Remember the technological impact of air conditioning made the West habitable in the first place. Let's use technology to balance our population growth with a sustainable water supply.
See chuckgoode.com for details.

More is Required To Solve Southern Utah’s Water Challenges

– By Andrew Kramer –

The St. George metro area is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Explosive population growth combined with the impacts of climate change, extended mega-drought, and dwindling water supplies mandate that we fully optimize our water management practices, especially here in the dry desert country of Washington County.

The Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) is making laudable progress in managing water supplies while improving conservation efforts, and has plans to do more. Measures such as recycling wastewater for secondary (irrigation) use, the turf buy-back program, Advanced Metering Infrastructure which allows monitoring and early leak detection, adoption of Water Efficiency Standards for M&I use (municipal, residential and industrial) and many other initiatives are essential for improving water efficiency. 

As St George grows, where will the water come from?

As St. George grows, where will its water come from?

Why vote for Chuck Goode

WHY VOTE FOR CHUCK GOODE (Register at VOTE.UTAH.GOV)
I want to give back to my community by preserving the quality of life that we have. I will strive for:
• a safe environment to raise our kids
• freedom to control our own lives
• preparedness for disasters before they occur
• facing our water crisis head-on with drastic action if needed
• a decrease in our taxes
• reprioritizing our county budget
• providing more county services to rural areas
• more county resources to help farmers and ranchers
• more resources to support sustainable real estate development
• more master planned communities with affordable housing

My Values are freedom, hard work, self-reliance, community service and innovation. I learned these values while growing up on a farm as a poor kid who studied hard to overcome poverty. After graduation, I joined the Army and then, I worked my way through college and got a job in research. As my career advanced, I joined Morton Thiokol working on the Space Shuttle contract and later I worked at Johnson Space Center in Houston TX during the construction of the International Space Station. My wife, Jean, and I moved to Washington County over 20 years ago where we took care of her aging parents, and I ran a small farm in Tocqueville. We moved to St George in 2018.

I noticed a problem with childhood poverty and led the effort to start a Community Soup Kitchen at Grace Episcopal Church. This effort involved the coordination of many county departments like getting Health Department approval, getting a SunTran bus stop, coordinating police security, and getting over 20 church volunteer groups to prepare and serve the meals. At first only one meal per week and then a home-cooked meal five days a week. As I look into the big brown eyes of a child who receives a much-needed meal, I recall the gratitude that I felt when I was that child. This soup kitchen is now a part of our model homeless program at Switchpoint Community Resource Center. 

We have arrived at a major turning point in our economy. From pioneer days, we have worked to distribute water to where it is needed with canals and reservoirs. Now, water is becoming unavailable to distribute. Zachary Renstrom of the Washington County Water Conservancy has predicted that, without a long-term solution, we have only 10-12 years of water availability. In the Cedar Valley, the land is sinking due to overuse of the aquifer water. (See Joan Meiners, The Water Tap in The Spectrum, July 31, 2022). We just drilled 2 wells over 1,000 feet deep into the St George aquifer.
 
On August 16, 2022, the Department of Interior announced the Colorado River had reached a Tier 2 shortage, triggering additional water cuts.  In June, the Bureau of Reclamation gave the seven Colorado River Basin states – Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming – until August 15th to reach a voluntary agreement on how to share the reduced water allocation of 2-to-4-million-acre feet.  The deadline has passed with no agreement reached. Therefore, effective January 2023.  Arizona faces a 21 percent reduction, Nevada by 8 percent and Mexico by 7%.

I have researched our situation as western aridification has worsened over this extended drought. I have found that we have the technology to solve this problem. Using innovation, we can avoid all the costly lawsuits by other states in the Colorado basin. We can avoid the tremendous cost of a centralized water delivery system or an expensive pipeline. We can accomplish this while providing our communities with clean drinking water in a secure decentralized system. We may even reduce our property taxes.
In the next 4 years, we can conserve 80% of our water by changing the way we nurture our soil and the way we build our homes. See my website for details at CHUCKGOODE.COM

Why Choose Me?

I have not been grandfathered into an elite network of lobbyists. I cannot help you to negotiate deals to manage our county's resources and growth issues. I can use technical and scientific expertise to help you actually solve problems. We do not need another plan. We need action quickly to save our economy and our quality of life in Washington County. Choose me to provide the missing leadership to address our water issues before it is too late.

Chuck Goode for Washington County Commission, I am asking for your trust and your vote on November 5th. Thank you!