“Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting:” Colorado River water disputes over the Lake Powell Pipeline

This case study analyzes the history, controversies, implications, and uncertainty in constructing the Lake Powell Pipeline (LPP) to evaluate how the state of Utah has been addressing the larger problem of responding to growing local demands for water within a regional context of reductions and cuts in water allocations. The research uses a multimethod approach, namely, analysis of historical documents, interviews, literature review, and field notes to link this case’s overlapping factors affecting the viability of LPP. The paper is divided into five sections: (1) an introductory review of the political and technological history of the Colorado River; (2) a description of the arguments and controversies related to the construction of LPPs; (3), identifying how the history of the Colorado River and LPP are deeply connected; (4) analysis of the properties of water infrastructure to understand what is at stake in the materialization of this project; and (5) a characterization of the complex political scenarios behind the negotiations over the LPP. The paper concludes with a reflection on how these controversies are part of a worldwide phenomenon: i.e., where building local water infrastructure is prioritized while ignoring the need for more holistic river basin policies.