Faced with a growing population, ongoing drought, and the Lake Powell Pipeline project on hold, Utah’s Washington County wants to explore groundwater resources to augment its supply.

St. George News reports that the Washington County Water Conservancy District submitted an application for state water rights, along with plans for 18 wells to be drilled along the Hurricane fault line. If water is available, the District wants to divert 12,900 acre-feet of water a year from these aquifers into Sand Hollow Reservoir near St. George.  But first, the District needs to find out if there is water in the deep aquifer.

The wells, per St. George News, would range from 1,000 to 5,000 feet deep.  “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.”

Like the Lake Powell Pipeline project, the proposal does not come without controversy.  ABC News says that some water owners and conservationists don’t want the digging along the Hurricane fault line to begin, concerned about how the proposal will affect existing water rights.

Image: St. George, Wikimedia Commons