A proposed reuse system built in Jordanelle — where wastewater is treated and then used to water golf courses — could still generate too much wastewater and would cause a need to discharge into the reservoir, Pitkin said.

"There are a lot of hoops that have to be negotiated to be ever able to discharge, and then you are going to have to provide a very high level of treatment. Removing phosphorous from wastewater is not cheap," Pitkin said.

For Wright, who previously served eight years as Heber City's mayor, the political fallout of building a mechanical system could be enormous.

"How do we build a (new) $20 million facility? We are still paying the bonds on this one. We are not going to be able to go to the people of Heber and Midway and say, 'We need to build a $20 million facility,' " Wright said.

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