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ST. GEORGE — Could untapped aquifers become a new source of water for Washington County's growing population? To find out, the county water district has applied to the state for the rights to the underground water so it can explore the feasibility of the potential water source.
The Washington County Water Conservancy District submitted an application for the water rights to the state, along with plans for 18 wells to be drilled along the Hurricane fault line. It is proposed by the district to divert 12,900 acre-feet of water from these aquifers annually into Sand Hollow Reservoir.
County water managers believe there could be water along the fault line due to data from two studies the water district has conducted, Zach Renstrom, the water district's general manager, said. These studies were triggered by a desire to find out where water meant to be stored in the old Ash Creek Reservoir seeps away to, he said.
If the water rights are granted, it will allow the water district to determine whether there actually is water to draw from, and if so, if it's financially feasible to retrieve.
"This is going to be a lengthy process, and a discussion that's going to have to be had," Renstrom said. "And we may get a water right, but it may be that it's just so astronomically expensive, that it doesn't make sense to drill down that deep and pump it. So there's still a lot of variables that need to be answered."
