H.C.R. 8

1

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION SUPPORTING
2 THE NARROWS WATER PROJECT IN
3 CENTRAL UTAH
4 2008 GENERAL SESSION
5 STATE OF UTAH
6 Chief Sponsor: Bradley A. Winn
7 Senate Sponsor: Darin G. Peterson
8 Cosponsors:
9 Douglas C. Aagard
10 Sheryl L. Allen
11 Sylvia S. Andersen
12 Roger E. Barrus
13 Jim Bird
14 Stephen D. Clark
15 Bradley M. Daw
16 Brad L. Dee
17 Glenn A. Donnelson
18 John Dougall
19 Jack R. Draxler
20 James A. DunniganBen C. Ferry
Julie Fisher
Lorie D. Fowlke
Craig A. Frank
Kevin S. Garn
Kerry W. Gibson
Richard A. Greenwood
Keith Grover
Kory M. Holdaway
Gregory H. Hughes
Fred R. Hunsaker
Todd E. Kiser
Bradley G. LastRebecca D. Lockhart
Steven R. Mascaro
Kay L. McIff
Ronda Rudd Menlove
Michael T. Morley
Paul A. Neuenschwander
Michael E. Noel
Curtis Oda
Paul Ray
Stephen E. Sandstrom
Mark W. Walker
R. Curt Webb
Carl Wimmer 21
22 LONG TITLE
23 General Description:
24 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor urges Congress and the
25 United States Bureau of Reclamation to support development of the Narrows Water
26 Project in Central Utah.
27 Highlighted Provisions:
28 This resolution:
29 . recognizes the need for adequate water storage for economic viability in the
30 communities of Central Utah, and the decades-long effort to develop the Narrows

31 Water Project;
32 . acknowledges the Narrows Water Project as the least expensive, most cost-
33 effective, and most environmentally sound means of storing water in Sanpete County;
34 . recognizes that the water rights relative to the Narrows Water Project have been
35 legally defined; and
36 . expresses support for the development of the Narrows Water Project in Central
37 Utah.
38 Special Clauses:
39 None
40
41 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
42 WHEREAS, water is fundamental to the economic base of Central Utah communities
43 and reliable water storage is necessary for both agricultural and municipal development;
44 WHEREAS, agricultural and municipal interests in Central Utah, including Sanpete
45 County, suffer substantial economic hardship because of the lack of water storage facilities;
46 WHEREAS, in the early 1900s, local, state and federal government officials
47 acknowledged the need for water storage in Sanpete County and began efforts to develop the
48 Narrows Water Project;
49 WHEREAS, reliable studies by multiple expert water engineering firms have
50 determined the Narrows Water Project to be the least expensive, most cost-effective, and most
51 environmentally sound means of storing water for Sanpete County;
52 WHEREAS, various studies, including a recent independent study by Utah State
53 University, show Sanpete County to be among Utah's most effective users of modern
54 conservation methods to conserve the water that is presently available to the county;
55 WHEREAS, the Bureau of Reclamation recognized the need for water storage in
56 Sanpete County, and as early as the 1930s proposed a plan that would provide water storage for
57 both Sanpete and Carbon Counties;
58 WHEREAS, the component of the Bureau of Reclamation's plan that would provide
59 water storage for Sanpete County was never implemented, initially due to a disruption caused
60 by World War II, and more recently by various questions regarding ownership of the water;

61 WHEREAS, numerous judicial decisions have now clearly established and defined the
62 water rights involved in the Narrows Water Project;
63 WHEREAS, legal agreements between Sanpete County, Carbon County, the state of
64 Utah, and various federal entities have recognized Carbon and Sanpete County's water rights
65 from Gooseberry Creek;
66 WHEREAS, a necessary component of the Narrows Water Project moving forward will
67 be National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, and the likelihood of the
68 compliance will be enhanced by the support of the Legislature and the Governor; and
69 WHEREAS, the residents of Sanpete County, at great financial sacrifice, have waited
70 for almost a century for the Narrows Water Project water storage facility that was promised to
71 them:
72 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
73 Governor concurring therein, express support for the Narrows Water Project in Central Utah.
74 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge Congress
75 and the United States Bureau of Reclamation to support the development of the Narrows Water
76 Project in Central Utah.
77 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Bureau of
78 Reclamation and to Utah's congressional delegation.




Legislative Review Note
as of 2-11-08 4:00 PM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel