Fly fishers say a proposed project to pipe water out of Flaming Gorge and Green River threatens a world-class trout fishery.

High Desert Anglers president Jeff Taniguchi’s opposition is deeply personal and unbending.

“The Million Project would absolutely decimate one of the most beautiful places in Utah, and compromise every downstream user of water on the Green,” Taniguchi said.

Fort Collins developer Aaron Million proposes to divert 81 billion gallons a year from the Green River and Flaming Gorge reservoir.

The water is Colorado’s unclaimed share of 1922 Colorado Compact, which Million plans to pipe 500 miles along the I-80 corridor to the thirsty Front Range of Colorado.

The project’s scope is remarkable, says Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, saying it calls for moving water over the Continental Divide.

“It’s not easy but it’s legally possible to move water from Wyoming and Utah over the Continental Divide to Colorado,” Kuhn said.

Legal maybe, but “ruinous,” say fly fishermen, as the amount of water to be harvested from the river and reservoir will destroy livelihoods along with game and fish habitat.

Million’s Wyco Power and Water Pipeline Project has applied for a permit with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a preliminary legal hurtle in project development.

The consequences to reservoir and river includes a draw-down of water resources to an uncertain proportion.

“Cold water fisheries like the Green River, is basically my way of life,” Northeastern Utah Coordinator for Trout Unlimited and river guide Charlie Card said.

Card grew up in Vernal and now lives as a full time fishing guide in Dutch John above the dam.

He fears the downstream consequences would damage the blue ribbon trout fishery below the dam as well as the endangered species habitat.

“By regulation, minimum flows on the Green River have to be 800 cubic feet per second for the endangered fish, and the less the water there is, the warmer the water gets which affects the health of the trout,” Card said.

Critics claim the removal of 250,000 acre-feet of water a year from the Green River will slow the recovery of endangered native fish and the area’s recreation-based economy.

Estimates are that there are about 15,000 trout per mile, or fish every linear foot, over 31 miles of blue ribbon fishery according to UT Division of Wildlife Resources officer Ryan Mosley.

That translates into a $118 million recreation-based economy for the communities of Daggett and Uintah counties in Utah.

“(Million’s pipeline) threatens our livelihood up here,” said Jerry Steglich, Daggett County Commission chair, pointing the biggest employer in the county as Flaming Gorge Lodge.

Steglich and others on the commission requested a meeting with Gov. Gary Herbert once they became aware he was “standing back on this issue.”

Gov. Herbert was quoted last week as saying he was concerned but would not join with Gov. Matt Mead of Wyo. in formally opposing the proposed pipeline.

Mead made a formal declaration against the proposed project in November criticizing Million’s plan as not well thought out.

For Utah it’s an issue that has been on the back-burner, fly fishermen say, because Colorado has never exerted its legal right to their allotted water.

But now, a decision must be made by the governor says Phillip Jensen, Trout Unlimited program manager in order to protect northeastern Utah’s cold water fishery.

“The governor has not made up his mind whether to support or oppose it,” Jensen said. “It’s a no-brainer, we’re getting water taken away. People should write the governor, send him an email saying we care about the water.”

Trout Unlimited has stepped up a campaign against the Million pipeline producing a video for public viewing http://ourdamwater.org.

“This isn’t just about water, this about home — our home,” summarizes Trout Unlimited fisherman Walt Gasson.

For more information about the High Desert Anglers join them every second Thursday of the month when they meet at he Uintah County Bldg. Lunch Room at 6 p.m.