Introduction and Project Overview
The Bureau of Reclamation, on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has issued a draft Environmental Assessment for the Washington County Water Conservancy District’s proposed Eastside Reuse System, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Reclamation is seeking public comment on its environmental review of the Eastside Reuse System. Reclamation will have a 15-day public comment period ending on Friday, October 31, 2025.
The Eastside Reuse System will serve the communities of Toquerville and La Verkin in southwest Utah. The Project would augment potable water supplies by conveying non-potable reuse to municipal and agricultural users in exchange for current outdoor irrigation sources. The source of the non-potable reuse is reclaimed water that is currently disposed via land application. The Project also includes an Advanced Water Purification Demonstration Facility for public education and engagement.
The Environmental Assessment presents the background of the study, the alternatives development and screening, and the affected environment and environmental consequences of the Project.
The Eastside Reuse System is disconnected from and independent of the proposed Central Reuse System, which will be evaluated in a separate NEPA process. Both projects will ultimately contribute to Washington County’s overarching Regional Reuse Purification System.
Comments
To be most helpful, comments should be as specific as possible. Substantive comments do one or more of the following:
- Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of information in the EA.
- Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of, methodology for, or assumptions used for the environmental analysis.
- Present new information relevant to the analysis.
- Present reasonable alternatives other than those analyzed in the EA.
- Cause changes or revisions in one or more of the alternatives.
Comments that are not considered substantive include the following:
- Comments in favor of or against the proposed action or alternatives without reasoning that meet the criteria listed above.
- Comments that only agree or disagree with Interior policy or resource decisions without justification or supporting data that meet the criteria listed above.
- Comments that don’t pertain to the project area or the project.
- Comments that take the form of vague, open-ended questions.
Comments must be submitted to Reclamation by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Friday, October 31, 2025 via email or standard mail:
Mr. Ben Woolf, Deputy Area Manager
Bureau of Reclamation, Provo Area Office
302 East Lakeview Parkway
Provo, UT 84606
(801) 379-1036
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any alternatives?
The Proposed Action has three alignment options for the upper segment of the pipeline: the East Option, Middle Option, and West Option. All alternatives begin and end in the same locations.
The East Option would follow Grand Canyon Parkway, then cut over to State Highway 17 via Hunter Lane, and then cut over to the TSWS Pond at Berry Lane.
The Middle Option would follow South Zion Parkway to the Toquerville Parkway. Prior to the South Westfield Road intersection, the alignment would cut north along an existing electrical transmission line, and then cut over to the TSWS Pond.
The West Option would follow South Zion Parkway to the Toquerville Parkway, and then would follow the Toquerville Parkway to the TSWS Pond.