Engineering:Central Utah Project Completion Act

The Central Utah Project Completion Act (CUPCA) enacted on October 30, 1992, removed responsibility for completing the Central Utah Project, a federal water project, from the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The Central Utah Project Completion Act then distributed responsibility for the project:

• Construction of the remainder of the Central Utah Project became the responsibility of the local water district—the Central Utah Water Conservancy District
• The Central Utah Project Completion Act established the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission to oversee facilities to mitigate for the environmental effects of the Central Utah Project; and
• The Central Utah Project Completion Act placed responsibility for oversight of the project with the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior.

Before Central Utah Project Completion Act

The Central Utah Project was authorized under the Colorado River Storage Project Act (CRSPA) (Public Law 84-485) on April 11, 1956, as a participating project of the Colorado River Storage Project to help meet Utah’s long-term water needs. Construction progress on the Central Utah Project proceeded slowly because of: the complexity of the project; complex environmental analyses; and inadequate and sporadic Federal funding. The slow progress prompted state and local officials to ask Congress to empower the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to complete the planning and construction of the remaining portion of the CUP, specifically the Bonneville Unit.

The Act

Congress responded to local concerns by enacting the Central Utah Project Completion Act in 1992. For the first time in history, Congress designated a local entity (the Central Utah Water Conservancy District) as the planning and construction entity FOR a major Federal water project.

Key Elements

• Water for the Future – The Central Utah Project Completion Act authorizes sufficient Federal funds to complete the Central Utah Project. The construction of CUP facilities provides water for Utah’s future—including the future of the Uinta Basin. The Uinta Basin Replacement Project is a key element of the construction authorized under Central Utah Project Completion Act.

• Recreation Opportunities – Central Utah Project facilities provide a range of recreational opportunities.

• Fiscal Responsibility – The Central Utah Project Completion Act created a cost-sharing environment under which local funds augment federal funding in the planning and construction of Central Utah Project features—which engenders additional fiscal responsibility.

• Environmental Commitments – The Central Utah Project Completion Act created the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission to coordinate and plan mitigation measures to meet environmental mitigation and conservation measures (including environmental commitments that preceded the Central Utah Project Completion Act). The Central Utah Project Completion Act also includes provisions for maintaining steam flows at prescribed minimum rates for the benefit of aquatic and riparian habitat.

• Water Conservation – The Central Utah Project Completion Act authorizes substantial funding for the planning and implementation of water conservation measures and projects.

• Local Development – The Central Utah Project Completion Act provides funding for local water development projects in areas that do not benefit directly from the Central Utah Project.

• Ute Indian Rights Settlement – CUPCA encourages the Northern Ute Tribe to quantify by compact its federal reserved water rights. It also settle long-outstanding claims against the United States arising out of the construction of the CUP by authorizing substantial funds to compensate the Ute Tribe for construction projects not undertaken by the United States. These funds provide for agricultural development, fish and wildlife enhancement, recreation improvement, and economic development.