Park City already delivers Deep Valley up to 600 acre feet of water for snowmaking under agreements struck decades ago, according to a staff report.
An acre-foot is the amount of water it takes to cover an acre to a depth of one foot, and equates to over 320,000 gallons.
Under a new contract approved by the Park City Council Thursday June 12, the city will provide Deer Valley with an additional 300 acre feet of water from Rockport Reservoir.
The ski resort will pay at least $340,000 per year for the water, per contract terms. However, the amount will vary based on several factors, including exact usage, where the water is delivered and future rate increases.
Deer Valley Director of Communications Emily Summers said the resort has consistently used its full water allocation in recent years. Summers said the surplus water agreement will allow Deer Valley “to open more terrain earlier and more reliably.”
The ski resort worked with Park City on the agreement for over a year, Summers said.
She said it’ll support snowmaking at the resort’s original ski area, not terrain that is part of the East Village expansion.
All of the water for the East Village expansion is coming from the Provo River through an agreement with the Jordanelle Special Service District, Summers noted.
The Park City staff report says selling surplus water will have “virtually no impact to the system overall, other than helping stabilize future rate increases and increasing Deer Valley’s ability to make snow during low snow years.”
The report notes that deliveries during the snowmaking season, November 1 to May 15, is when demand is at the lowest level and the water system has the most capacity.
Park City’s contract with Deer Valley runs until May 2030 but can be terminated at the city’s request.
Park City Municipal and Deer Valley Resort are financial supporters of KPCW.
