Utah: Salt Lake City  - Salt Lake City Works with

   Stakeholders to Protect its Water Supply

   Background

   The Salt Lake City, Utah, Public Utilities' water system supplies more than 400,000
   customers, providing an average of 89.8 million gallons of water daily. Peak demands
   reach over 182 million gallons a day during the hot summer months. Delivery of water to
   Salt Lake City and county residents depends on a complex network of dams, aqueducts,
   water treatment plants, distribution reservoirs, and water mains. Salt Lake City's water
   system is one of the world's most complex because of the number of water sources and
   differences in service elevations. Four local sources are tapped to meet Salt Lake City's
   water requirements: 1) City Creek, Parleys Creek, and Big and Little Cottonwood Creeks
   supply about 57 percent; 2) The Deer Creek Project, 40 miles southeast of Salt Lake
   City, supplies approximately 27 percent; and 3) Deep wells on the city's north and east
   benches supply the balance of the water needed.

   Water from the Central Utah Project's Jordanelle Reservoir will provide water to meet
   population growth through the year 2025. All of the surface water receives full treatment
   before distribution consisting of flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and chlorine
   disinfection. The water meets or exceeds all water quality requirements set by the U.S.
   Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),  Utah State Department of Health, and the Safe
   Drinking Water Act (SDWA). However, the need to protect the city's ground water
   supplies became apparent to the Utility in the early 1990's when two drinking water wells
   were discovered to be contaminated with PCE (perchloroethylene), a common dry
   cleaning solvent. The State Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has completed
   a source water assessment for Salt Lake City.

   Priority Contamination Threat

   The priority contamination threat is to the ground water supplies from PCE
   (perchloroethylene).

   Local Involvement and Developing the Protection Plan

   The Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities has established a management policy
   that solicits input from  a variety of stakeholders,  including the Salt Lake City Council, the
   Salt Lake Valley Health Department, the County Sheriff's Department, and the  U.S.
   Forest Service. In cooperation with these entities, Public Utilities originally developed the
   1988 Watershed Master Plan to set goals for the protection of the watershed. The utility
   sought public input for the master plan by organizing a series of public meetings, which
   were publicized on the Internet, on public access TV, in newspapers,  and via fliers that
   were distributed to the population. In 1999, Salt Lake City revised  its Watershed Master
   Plan, also with public input, to address the challenges arising from unprecedented
   growth in the valley.
Office of Water (4606M)                       816F10048                             January 2010

-------
   With the protection of the watersheds being a major issue within the community, a
   publicly funded program for watershed land acquisition was initiated with the '88
   Watershed Master plan. This program was based on community contribution to a
   watershed land purchase fund, a dedicated fund financed by a $0.25 fee on each water
   bill. In the 1999 plan update, the funding was increased to $0.50 per bill, generating
   $500,000 per year. The fund has been used to purchase over 1200 acres of prime
   watershed property, preventing it from being developed, and providing long term
   protection by incorporating conservation easements with the purchases.

   Many efforts have been made to cooperatively address ground water issues across the
   Salt Lake Valley. In 1998, in an effort to coordinate a valley-wide source water protection
   zone across jurisdictional boundaries, all of the water entities in the valley joined in a
   ground water study and formed the Salt Lake Valley Ground Water Protection Coalition.
   For surface water issues, along with  the major surface water producers in the state,
   DEQ, and the State Health Laboratory, Salt Lake City participates in the "Utah Water
   Quality Alliance," a local, voluntary alliance dedicated to protecting surface waters,
   producing the best drinking water possible,  and encouraging excellence in water
   operations. The Alliance also joined the "Partnership for Safe Water" (a program
   developed by the national drinking water community) as a group to expand the
   effectiveness of the program's efforts to survey and optimize the performance of their
   participating facilities, Salt Lake City  received the Director's Award for 5 years of
   consecutive compliance with Phase III of the Partnership Program. The community
   benefit of this expanded approach is that the same high level of water quality is available
   throughout the Salt Lake area.

   To encourage community participation in water quality, Public Utilities Consumer
   Confidence Report includes advice on methods of preventing contamination of drinking
   water sources. Public Utilities Advisory Board meetings, at which the public are
   welcome, are held each month. The  Utility encourages comments from the public and
   routinely includes bullets on the water bills to keep them informed of meetings, current
   events and participation opportunities.

   Management Measures

   The canyon watersheds of the Wasatch Mountains encompass over 185 square miles.
   Salt Lake City, under State law, as a City of the first class, population exceeding
   100,000, has extraterritorial jurisdiction over its extended watershed. This authority along
   with the Federal authority granted by Public Law 101, of 1914 and  1934, allows for the
   establishment of regulations and ordinances to protect the water supply. The canyon
   watersheds are a valuable, regional natural resource, and the Salt Lake City Department
   of Public Utilities must work with the  community to protect water quality while allowing
   recreational activities such as skiing, camping, picnicking, hiking and hunting. Specific
   watershed ordinances have been developed to allow the department to continue the
   multiple-use concept while closely monitoring and enforcing the rules that help maintain
   the watershed and water quality. Public Utilities launched a new program "Keep It Pure"
   in response to the need for additional public information and education on watershed
   issues. This popular program has provided for  new signage in the watershed, enhancing
   the outdoor experience while providing valuable watershed protection information.
   Classroom programs for the 4th and 9th grades  have been developed and added to the
Office of Water (4606M)                        816F10048                               January 2010

-------
   curriculums providing a place based educational experience that will enhance the
   students understanding and appreciation of the watershed.

   The Salt Lake Valley Ground Water Protection Coalition developed a model ordinance,
   incorporating State requirements, which has been adopted or is being acted upon in
   twelve smaller communities as a baseline for concerted ground water protection.
   Communities added some variations providing greater levels of protection as desired.
   These ground water protection ordinances have allowed for the identification of potential
   problems and for the establishment of Best Management Practices, BMPs, to address
   them. Examples of the components of the ground water protection ordinances include:

       •   Specified permitted uses, prohibited uses, and conditional uses in each Wellhead
          or Protected Zone;
       •   Restricted uses in protection (or overlay) zones for primary and secondary
          recharge areas;
       •   Required responsibility for businesses for remediation of spills that impact ground
          water;
       •   Developed matrices of allowable uses by planning and zoning commissions; and
       •   Required referrals to the water utility for specific Best Management Practices
          (BMPs).

   As a member of the Ground Water Protection Coalition, Salt Lake City received an EPA
   Environmental Achievement Award in July 1998 for its efforts to protect ground water.

   The Salt Lake Valley Health Department also conducts a Pollution Prevention Program
   that incorporates the following measures:

       •   An industry-specific auditing program (individual businesses within specified
          industry types are inspected, recommendations provided, and major violations
          forwarded for enforcement action);
       •   Voluntary facility pollution prevention/compliance audits (waste auditing services
          are made available to individual facilities upon request and focus on  pollution
          prevention and regulatory compliance);
       •   Settlement conferences (to negotiate sanctions against businesses violating
          state and/or local rules and regulations); and
       •   Technical assistance to small businesses (regarding waste minimization and
          toxicity reduction).

   The Salt Lake Valley Health Department plans to follow developments closely as new
   state rules are finalized concerning water reuse.

   In 1991, the State Engineer of the State Department of Natural Resources, Division of
   Water Rights, established an Interim Ground Water Management Plan  in an effort to
   address potential for excessive ground water withdrawals that could endanger the
   principal aquifer's water quality. The State Engineer established a number of measures
   to prevent excessive withdrawals, including limiting withdrawals to specific amounts
   within nine ground water management areas.

   In 1993, the State Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Drinking Water
   established a "Drinking Water Source Protection Rule," with the purpose of designating
Office of Water (4606M)                       816F10048                               January 2010

-------
   and protecting land surfaces that are contributing to water recharging the aquifer that
   feeds a well or spring source.

   Contingency Planning

   Salt Lake City lies in an active earthquake zone. A serious earthquake could sever
   aqueducts and water lines serving the community, resulting in the loss of water service
   for an extended period of time. The Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities provides
   recommendations to customers for action during a serious earthquake to protect an
   emergency water supply inside the home and provides an emergency phone number.
   Reservoirs  are situated around the community and can store a day or more supply,
   depending on use, for the community. The reservoirs also provide for fire flows in the
   community. Salt Lake City has developed a security plan with strategies to respond to
   the threat of terrorism.

   Measuring Program Effectiveness

   Salt Lake City Public  Utilities monitors the distribution system water quality in
   accordance with the regulations. The Salt Lake Valley Health Department samples
   drinking water on both a regular and random basis to verify the systems compliance with
   the SDWA requirements. Routine monitoring of ground water quality provides the means
   to detect and  identify  the cause  of any changes in quality. Watershed protection efforts
   are demonstrated by the maintenance of the water quality in the canyon streams, the
   preservation of undisturbed lands and the ability to  allow multiple uses while protecting
   the water quality.

   For further information, contact:

   Florence Reynolds, Water Quality and Treatment Administrator
   Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities
   (801)483-6864
Office of Water (4606M)                        816F10048                              January 2010

-------