Chief Toquer Reservoir gains $7M in new funding

Written by Mori Kessler
March 28, 2024

TOQUERVILLE – Sitting near a deep trench that will serve as the foundation of a new dam for an incoming reservoir, federal, state and local officials gathered to hear a special announcement from the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton speaks at the site near the construction of the dam for the forthcoming Chief Toquer Reservoir about a new wave of water infrastructure funding being provided to projects in Utah and California, Toquerville, Utah, March 27, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Standing behind a portable lectern with the giant cut in the valley’s hillside as her background, Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton announced Wednesday that the federal government is giving $7 million toward the Ash Creek Project, the official name of the construction phase of the incoming Chief Toquer reservoir.

This $7 million is the second round of funding and builds on the $4.7 million the Reclamation invested in the project last year. It is also a part of an overall $35 million going toward six small surface and groundwater storage projects in Utah and California. The funding comes through the Small Storage Program, authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“It’s great to get out and see funds from President (Joe) Biden’s ‘Investing in America’ agenda being put to work on the ground,” Touton said.

The Ash Creek Project encompasses the construction of an 18.8-mile pipeline from the Ash Creek Reservoir to the future site of the Chief Toquer Reservoir. Originally estimated to be a $34 million project, the reservoir’s funding needs have jumped to around $94 million due to inflation.

The purpose of the project is to capture and secure water from Ash Creek Reservoir near New Harmony that is reportedly being lost to seepage. The reservoir was built in the 1960s alongside Interstate 15 and hasn’t worked as well as intended, Zach Renstrom, general manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District, previously told St. George News.

The trench running up the hillside marks the foundation of the dam for the new Chief Toquer Reservoir, March 27, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

At capacity, the new reservoir will hold 3,638 acre-feet of water and is expected to provide approximately 1,760 acre-feet annually. It is also anticipated to be a new source of water-based recreation and potentially a new state park.

Projects like the Chief Toquer Reservoir are seen as building up the resilience and flexibility of communities in the West that continue to experience ongoing impacts of climate change and drought.

“It is our hope that this water project will promote sustainability for our water resources for the region,” Touton said.

Others who spoke at the event were Joel Ferry, director of the Utah Department of Natural Resource, and Congresswoman Celeste Maloy. Both also lauded the partnership and cooperation between local and state agencies, local governments and the Bureau of Reclamation.

“The $7 million investment the federal government has made today is critical and is so important,” Ferry said. “It helps us keep this project going to completion.”

The new reservoir serves as a crucial piece of the Washington County Water Conservancy District’s long-term plans for water infrastructure, which could add decades of water for new growth.

L-R, Washington County Water Conservancy District general manager Zach Renstrom, Utah Department of Natural Resource director Joel Ferry, Congresswoman Celeste Maloy and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. They met at the site of the future Chief Toquer Reservoir where Touton announced Reclamation was putting $7 million toward the reservoir project, Toquerville, Utah, March 27, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

“By doing projects like this – investing in conservation and using the resources we have available – this ultimately brings Washington County 20-30 years of continued growth and continued water use,” he said. “It’s huge. It’s generational.”

Maloy said she was pleased with the additional funding and how everyone involved worked together instead of seeing each other in an adversarial light.

“Something like this has big upfront costs, so it takes all of the partners coming together,” Maloy said. “They’re bearing the high upfront costs to the infrastructure in play so we can move forward with the plan. It’s really refreshing to me to see a federal agency working with local governments – we need more of that.”

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Reclamation is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years in water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination. Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed in November 2021, Reclamation has announced nearly $3 billion for 425 projects.

On the state level, the Utah Legislature approved $500 million for water projects across the state. This included nearly $200 million for Washington County’s regional water reuse system.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He enjoys photography and won an award for photojournalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for a 2018 photo of a bee inspector removing ferals bees from a Washington City home. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @MoriKessler@STGnews

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