Treasure Mountain Junior High is being torn down to make way for new athletics facilities, including two soccer fields, eight tennis courts and softball and baseball fields along Kearns Boulevard.
Demolition started in September 2025. The project has been under scrutiny since before contaminated water allegations were submitted through the Department of Environmental Quality’s spills hotline Oct. 10.
Prior to that, Utah’s Division of Air Quality had sent an unrelated compliance advisory notice regarding asbestos violations. The district told KPCW it was already correcting the issue before the notice arrived.
Then in November, the Department of Environmental Quality confirmed to KPCW it is investigating allegations that the project’s contractor dumped more than tens of thousands of gallons of contaminated water into the nearby Silver Creek.
Parents Steven and Jacquelyn Grayson were the only residents who attended the public meeting.
“What stood out to me was the degree and severity of conflicting information. It felt like there were two totally different stories told about what had happened,” Steven Grayson said.
He is referring to disparities between a recent TownLift story and the district’s 14-page report.
The TownLift reported certified lab tests released by the district were at thresholds that would trigger more stringent contaminated water handling. However, the district’s contractor said the lab report verifies the water was not classified as hazardous.
The TownLift story also said the project contractor disposed of groundwater without a necessary permit, while the district said a permit was not required as the groundwater was classified as non-hazardous.
Park City School District Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman said the district is trying to be as transparent as possible, that’s why it scheduled the public Q&A. However, it doesn’t have all the information.
“The challenge with this particular situation is DEQ has not issued certain documentation, therefore we can only report out on the information we have,” she said. “However, there's local media reporting out on information that we don't have, and we've asked for that.”
Huntsman said the district will share more when it receives the information.
“We care about this community. We care about our kids. We care about our families. Let's work together,” she said. “We are not trying to withhold or hide anything.”
The DEQ told KPCW findings from its investigation may be available in late December or early 2026.
Meanwhile, construction on the site will continue, weather permitting.
Listen Here: Park City School District Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman and Nick Hill, the district board of education’s vice president, will be on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Thursday at 8:30 a.m. to share the latest updates.
