SPANISH FORK—At the Central Utah Project Completion Act (CUPCA) construction site in south Utah County, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined state and local officials to highlight how the recently-passed bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help improve Utah’s water infrastructure for families and communities across our state. The legislation, authored and negotiated by Senator Romney and his colleagues, includes $50 million in funding for the Central Utah Project Completion Act, which provides water for both municipal and recreational use throughout Utah. Details on the how the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will deliver for Utah can be found here.
“All of us are responsible for serving the people of our state and our community—and our state is growing. It’s essential that we have the water that we have the rights to and that we use the water in a way that’s appropriate and responsible. We needed more water for Salt Lake County and for Utah County and this project, the Central Utah Water Project, allows us to get more water…We’re not increasing the amount of water coming out of the Colorado—we’re getting the same amount that we had before—but this allows us to bring water in efficiently into the communities in Salt Lake County and Utah County that need it,” said Senator Romney. “You guys are my boss—those who are citizens of Utah—you tell me what I should do and I was told loud and clear: we need to make sure we get the funding to get this water…I’m very, very pleased that the infrastructure projects—hard, physical infrastructure projects—that are part of this legislation—that are the entire part of this legislation—are going to help Utah maintain the kind of vitality and good quality of life that we have long-enjoyed and provide a place where our kids, and their kids, will be happy to raise their families.”
“Water is the lifeblood of Utah. Our pioneer forefathers built tunnels, diversions, and other facilities to bring additional water to this area in south Utah County, as well as to the entire Wasatch Front, including Salt Lake County. The Central Utah Project expanded limited water supplies by bringing more Colorado River water to the population centers of Salt Lake and Utah counties. More than 60% of the drinking water and Salt Lake County comes from diversions from the Colorado River…The additional funds for the Central Utah Project will provide a more rapid completion of the system in south Utah County and facilitate deliveries into Salt Lake County. Our communities are growing quickly and completion of the system will provide for the increase in water demands. Also, the funding for the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement is crucial to the state of Utah to secure our Colorado River water and, more importantly, deliver clean drinking water to many in the Navajo Nation who currently don’t have running water.” – Gene Shawcroft, General Manager, Central Utah Water Conservancy District
“We would like, me representing the Department, to express our appreciation to Senator Romney for the support of the Central Utah Project and for the additional funding that comes at a very critical time. Once completed, this pipeline…will provide water for 100,000 people right here in south Utah County. These funds will also provide much-needed help with our fish, wildlife, and recreation in the area, including support of the endangered species.” – Reed Murray, Program Director, Central Utah Water Project Completion Act Office
“As the fastest growing state in the nation, Utah has critical infrastructure needs. Not only do we need new infrastructure to support our growth, we also need to maintain and replace our aging infrastructure to preserve the quality of life Utah is famous for. We are grateful to Senator Romney and all the work he has brought to us with this bipartisan infrastructure bill…It provides critical infrastructure resources to construct, rebuild, and maintain our roads, water projects, and wildfire management. The funds dedicated to water will help complete the Central Utah Project, bring safe, clean drinking water to the Utah Navajo Nation people, as well as [complete] critical upgrades to drinking water systems throughout the state…These funds will benefit Utahns for many generations.” – Todd Adams, Deputy Director, Utah Division of Natural Resources
“If you were to ask me, and constituents were to ask me, what’s the number one issue facing south Utah County—it’s growth…it’s growth and water…I just want to express my appreciation for Senator Romney. We have tremendous needs in south Utah County and putting this infrastructure in place is huge for this community.” – Mike McKell, Utah State Senator, District 7
“As it’s been stated before: we can’t be here if there’s no water. Our city can’t grow without water and the foresight of the people that came before us saw that we needed water, made these projects available for us, and you see it all come to fruition now…As a city, we love knowing that we have water for our residents and we know we have water for future growth because as we continue to grow, the demand for water is going to keep increasing…So projects like this, and for the good people that make it happen for us, and provide the funding for us, is great and we sure appreciate it.” – Steve Leifson, Spanish Fork City Mayor
“When we talk about the delivery of water and the importance of it, it’s not just the importance of the arid state that we live in, but south Utah County, as a whole. To see the success of this happening, with the additional funding, is really important for our area—to deliver water at pressure is a huge benefit for the struggles and the problems that we have in Spanish Fork and in this area with growth. This is a huge step to help overcome those. So, I’m excited for this—for the extension of this project—and again grateful to the good Senator for making sure this happened.” – Mike Mendenhall, Spanish Fork City Councilman