Print View From: "Jerry Taylor" To: Date: Tuesday - September 29, 2009 4:09 PM Subject: Utah/Nevada Water September 29, 2009 To Whom It May Concern: As a board member of an irrigation canal in Provo I know how emotional people get when talking about water. This being said I believe it to be a huge mistake to enter into any contract with Nevada until all possible information is on the table. If, as I understand, the water agreement isn't going to go into effect until 2019 I see no need to prematurely sign any agreements. My concerns would be does the water talked about really exist or will this be another agreement similar to the Colorado River agreement where water was allocated that; in fact, was not there for the long term. The residents in this area have some basic claim, if not legal, to the water due to their long history of usage. What is the effect going to be to the quality of air along the Wasatch Front if this area does turn into a dust bowl. We have already seen how bad the air can be when California has wildfires. Are we just adding to this already existing problem. Is anyone really so naïve as to believe if Las Vegas once has use of this water they will ever relinquish the use due to some farmer's problem in west desert Utah? Or for that matter any ecological problem. That simply won't happen-doesn't matter what anybody promises. The fact that Las Vegas has done a poor job in planning for water use should not be put on Utah's plate and ask that we solve it. The bottom line is that Nevada does have "rights" to existing water, however, until someone (preferably scientists-not politicians) decide how much water is there, how fast it replenishes itself in the worst case scenario, what effect the depletion has on the current residents and the Wasatch Front, Utah would be foolish to enter into any agreements. Respectfully, Jerry Taylor 1134 South Nevada Avenue Provo, Utah 84606 801-376-2010