© 2024 KPCW

KPCW
Spencer F. Eccles Broadcast Center
PO Box 1372 | 460 Swede Alley
Park City | UT | 84060
Office: (435) 649-9004 | Studio: (435) 655-8255

Music & Artist Inquiries: music@kpcw.org
News Tips & Press Releases: news@kpcw.org
Volunteer Opportunities
General Inquiries: info@kpcw.org
Listen Like a Local Park City & Heber City Summit & Wasatch counties, Utah
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Park City
Everything to do inside of Park City proper.

Park City Water Working On A Few Infrastructure Projects

Park City Municipal

Park City’s water planners have a couple of major infrastructure projects in their future. That includes the big-ticket plan for a new 3Kings Water Treatment Plant.

Park City’s Utilities Director Clint McAffee said in the past decade, their major priority has been water quality. Water supply has been a close second.

He said their big projects have been in the Capital Improvements model for a number of years. McAffee said he doesn’t envision any big water rate increases unless something dramatically changes.

Currently the city utilizes a pipeline, originating just south of Rockport Reservoir, with water pumped uphill to a pond in Promontory. From there, he said, it gravity-flows down to Park City boundaries.

He said they have plans to extend the pipeline to the area of the Municipal Golf Course.

“So right now, we have a pipeline from Rockport Reservoir all the way to Wyatt Earp,” McAffee explained. “Basically, there’s a bunch of stuff in between, but it’s just sitting there. There’s a dead end at Wyatt Earp. We provide some of the school properties, the North 40, irrigation with that pipeline. But currently it’s a big 18-inch pipeline that’s ready to be extended. So we’ll hook onto that, run it down Highway 248, across the Municipal Golf Course, and stub it into the new water treatment plant, where we can treat more mine tunnel water, and discharge that Rockport water and provide water to the golf courses, the creek , and snow-making.”

Meanwhile, they’re underway with plans for a new 3Kings water treatment plant. He said the construction cost will be in the ballpark of $70 million. That will be paid through a bond.

“We typically bond for 15-year bond terms,” McAffee said. “A lot of the bonds we took out are reaching maturity. And that’ll free up some revenue that’ll be taken by the Kings bonds that are yet to be issued.”

He said they have chosen a contractor—the same party that built the Quinn’s treatment plant and is currently constructing a new golf maintenance building.

McAffee said that soon they hope to agree on a maximum price for the project. Work on utilities will take place this year. They will tear down the old 3Kings plant in the winter and start construction on the new building next spring.

One reason for the new plant, he said, is to meet water treatment requirements that will be coming up in the future for the golf course.

“Municipal golf course takes water right out of the ponds on the golf course,” McAffee continued. “That’s primarily Spiro Tunnel, but also Thiriot Springs. We provide water to the County Club with Spiro Tunnel water. And currently that does not need to be treated. But as we’ve been talking over the years, we have discharge permits for the Judge and Spiro, and a compliance order where we have to come into compliance with stream-water standards eventually, and that’s the purpose of the 3Kings Water Treatment Plant, in part.”

McAffee said they’re looking at a couple of strategies to cut down on the expense of treatment.

“Our strategy is going to be to treat as little as possible to dump in the creek,” McAffee explained. “Use other mechanisms like isolating the waters coming out of the tunnel with the highest concentration of metals and treating those waters. We’re extending the pipeline from Rockport Reservoir over to MacLeod Creek to we can blend.”

Known for getting all the facts right, as well as his distinctive sign-off, Rick covered Summit County meetings and issues for 35 years on KPCW. He now heads the Friday Film Review team.
Related Content