Following an anonymous tip, Utah water regulators are investigating whether contaminated water was dumped into a creek near the Park City School District Treasure Mountain Junior High demolition site.
DEQ spokesperson Dave Noriega says the Oct. 10 allegations were made through the agency’s spills hotline.
“We are actively investigating this situation, including the volume of water that may have been discharged into the creek, and then also the potential contaminants,” Noriega said. “We are not aware of any immediate public health or environmental risk from the alleged discharge, but we'll need to gather further information through our investigation.”
In November, the same allegations were shared with Park City area media in an email from a concerned resident. The email claimed district contractors may have been illegally dumping water into a creek to the east of the school on and before Oct. 10. The complaint was first reported in the TownLift.
KPCW’s attempt to reach the tipster by email for additional information did not elicit a response.
The district’s contractor reports water was released into the creek, but only after tests showed it was not considered hazardous as defined by federal and state regulatory standards.
Pump log records provided by the district also show water was discharged into the creek on only one day: Oct. 10. Almost 26,500 gallons were pumped into the creek over about three hours.
On KPCW’s Local News Hour Nov. 20, Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman said the DEQ visits the project a couple of times a week on a staggered schedule to ensure compliance. The district has also had an environmental specialist on site throughout the project.
“A certified environmental specialist has been on site every day, monitoring air quality, ensuring all work complies with state and federal requirements,” she said.
The DEQ says some findings from its investigation may be publicly available in late December or in early 2026.
Prior to the water pumping allegations, the district also received a compliance advisory notice from the Division of Air Quality, alleging violations related to asbestos.
Huntsman said the district was already taking corrective actions related to the mishandling of asbestos before the notice arrived. Board of Education Vice President Nick Hill also said issues related to asbestos are common in large-scale demolition projects.
“This stuff comes up because we are constantly testing and retesting,” he said. “As we do that, we revise the plan for that demolition. When something is uncovered like that, we'll pause in one area and we'll work in areas that we can until things are properly mitigated.”
State regulators told KPCW asbestos-containing materials were removed before demolition continued.
In a statement, the district said it “understand[s] the complexities associated with projects of this scale and continue[s] to rely on the expertise of [its] contractors, who closely manage the work, as well as monitor site conditions.”
The Treasure Mountain demolition is part of the district’s athletics master plan. Two soccer fields and eight tennis courts will be built in place of the school and softball and baseball fields are under construction east of the building.
Construction will continue as the weather allows. The district hopes to have Treasure Mountain torn down to the foundation before winter is in full swing.
