Water project to provide safe and reliable supply

Nobody can live without water.

That's why it is so important to protect our existing water delivery system and invest in new facilities when needed. The Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy was formed 70 years ago to provide regional water projects to support the growing water needs in the Salt Lake Valley. In 1996, anticipating the growing water needs of the Salt Lake Valley, Metro developed a master plan. This plan, the Metro Water Project, would increase the water transport capacity of existing water supplies from the Provo River; create a new state-of-the-art treatment plant and expand the existing Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant. The project provides greater reliability of the Salt Lake Aqueduct and pushes back the need for new, expensive water supply projects.

The Metro Water Project, planned for the past eight years, is now under way. The treatment plant is being built near the Point of the Mountain in Draper; the Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant in Cottonwood Heights is undergoing an expansion; and a new 60-inch diameter water pipeline to connect the two is being constructed.

Totaling some $250 million, these projects will provide for our customers' current and future water supply needs and add reliability to our region's water supply network. When the Metro Water Project is complete in 2007, all of the valley's major water distribution will be linked.

Here's what we're building:

Point of the Mountain Water Treatment Plant. When completed, this water treatment and storage facility in Draper will have the capacity to treat 70 million gallons of water per day using the most modern processes available. As water needs increase, the capacity can be more than doubled to 151 million gallons per day. Plant construction should be complete in June 2007. As part of our commitment to our neighbors, the plant will provide 5 million gallons of water storage for Draper's fire-protection needs and 3 million gallons of storage are earmarked for Bluffdale (both via our partnership with Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District). The plant site also provided fill dirt for Draper's Bangerter Parkway extension, and a portion of the site serves as an emergency landing zone for the area's many hang gliders.

Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant Expansion. Work at this plant includes a new water diversion from Little Cottonwood Creek, an upgraded water-treatment process and an increase in treatment capacity from 113 million gallons per day to 150 million gallons per day. Additional storage and pumping capacity are also being provided at the Little Cottonwood site.