A Utah economist is incredulous about the lack of detail in the Preliminary Licensing Proposal for the Lake Powell pipeline, set for release Tuesday.

“After years of study and tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, their plan is still a draft,” said Gabriel Lozada with the University of Utah.

Slated to deliver 26.7 billion gallons of water to Washington County and 1.3 billion to Kane County every year, there is no plan as of yet for the pipeline’s route or a construction schedule.  Those details may not be finalized for years.

Also yet to be addressed is the pipeline’s ultimate cost or how it will be funded.  Estimates have been around one billion dollars.

A recent University of Utah study projected an increase of 123 percent in impact fees and a 576 percent raise in water rates in the St. George area.