The Salt Lake Tribune reportsthat Utah legislator Mike Noel has a personal financial stake in the development of the Lake Powell pipeline, which would move water from the Colorado River to towns across southern Utah.
Utah Rivers Council on Friday filed a complaint with Utah’s Attorney General, saying that Noel holds sizable yet undisclosed financial interests in the water project.
The state’s application to build the 140-mile pipeline includes a spur which would carry 3.5 million gallons a day into Johnson Canyon in Kane County. Noel owns some 700 acres near Johnson Canyon, and he also holds significant water rights there.
Noel told the Tribune that the project would not benefit him personally, arguing he already has access to water sufficient to subdivide his land.