The streamflow of McLeod Creek is back up this week after it was reduced to a near-trickle due to construction at the Park City golf course, which is part of the Three Kings Water Treatment plant project.
About three weeks ago, longtime McLeod Creek resident Glenn Holley noticed that the creek behind his home was barely a creek – water was just barely trickling.
“To see what has happened to this stream in this shorter period of time just breaks my heart,” he said.
Park City Public Utilities Director Clint McAfee says two golf course ponds on holes 14 and 18 were dredged as part of the water treatment plant project. The ponds serve as settling areas for the heavy metals coming from the mining-era Spiro Tunnel like iron, lead and arsenic. He says the crews did their best to keep the creek’s flow of water stable as the ponds were being refilled.
“On April 20 we finished the dredging and started filling that pond,” he said. “And when we did that, there was less flow going into McLeod Creek and so we had observations that the creek was flowing at low levels, which it was. We were monitoring it; we were comfortable with the amount of water going down. But as it flowed, or filled, for about 40 hours, there were lower flows in the creek.”
Holley was also alarmed when he saw what he thought was a surge of sediment that had come down the creek from the golf course.
“I don’t want to point fingers,” Holley said. “I don’t really know the answers, other than I guess I’m upset about what happened to what was kind of lovely back here.”
McAfee believes the sediment has always been there along the creek, but that it hasn’t been exposed until now.
“In reality, you know, I've walked that creek up now in the last couple of days inspecting it, and same with my team and we're comfortable that that sediment was existing,” he said. “We monitor it closely and we're comfortable with the amount of water flowing through there.”
For now, Holley says he’s satisfied with McAfee’s investigation but notes that given the low flow and the ongoing drought, he doesn’t see how aquatic life can be sustained. He says he hasn’t seen fish in the creek for the last 3 or 4 years.
McAfee says the city watches the creek fluctuations very closely.
“We don't have water rights to divert all the water, and you know, so there's, there's a limitation from that aspect and typically that's enough water to keep, you know, aquatic life going,” McAfee said. “The creeks fluctuate and we have we try to maintain minimum flow.”
Holley is pleased to see some water back in the creek. McAfee says he’s happy to hear from Park City residents who are willing to come forward with their concerns and work through them.
