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An agreement first etched onto a napkin or paper bag in 1961 is now causing turmoil in Garfield County.

What's going on?

It comes down to water and who has the right to decide how to use it. One of the water systems at play is the Tropic Reservoir and the dispute comes down to storage and releases.

The Utah state engineer over water rights is in the middle of peace talks, while Garfield County officials say they're tired of negotiations and ready to take the issue to court.

“This is insanity,” said Garfield County Commissioner Leland Pollock. “It is going to be a fight now. These are good people who don’t want to fight Otter Creek (Reservoir Company) and they don’t want to fight the state engineer.”

The Otter Creek dispute

The other water system at play is the Otter Creek Reservoir, which is downstream from Tropic Reservoir.

Matt Mills, president and chief executive officer of the Otter Creek Reservoir Company, said people can scream about the water being released, but it is not their water to scream about, Amy Joi O'Donoghue reported.

“The water right is decreed and belongs to the 10 water companies in Otter Creek,” he said.

“The difference this year is that we are in a drought situation. It is pretty much black and white,” Mills said. “They are trying to reach out and grab water that belongs to Otter Creek.”

This Utah school is producing world-class musicians — but that’s not the main goal

Fostering a sense of community and connection is the thing that drives Gifted Music School founders Vera Oussetskaia Watanabe and Eugene Watanabe to continue pursuing musical excellence, despite obstacles like funding.

The school has about 800 students involved, and at its top level, there's a conservatory that 38 musicians currently attend on full scholarship.

Over the years, this pre-college program — which has managed to attract kids from outside of Utah — has sent students to prestigious institutions like The Juilliard School, Berklee College of Music, Columbia University and Indiana University, Lottie Johnson reported.

“When kids have arts and music education, they become more successful in their personal lives and their financial lives,” Eugene Watanabe said. “From a purely civic standpoint ... I think every dollar that’s put into these kids, they will go out and earn a living. Some of them will become entrepreneurs, and they’ll become great taxpayers. So the money that it brings back to the community, just in sheer terms of dollars, is enormous."

Read more about the music school.

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