Jordan Valley Water gaining a new chief

After 18 years of tremendous growth in the Salt Lake Valley's water needs, the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District is getting a new general manager.

The district announced this week that David Ovard, a 35-year veteran with the district who has been at the helm since 1989, will retire at the end of this year. He will be replaced by longtime assistant general manager Richard Bay.

The district contracts with 19 cities and water suppliers throughout Salt Lake County, serving all areas of the valley except Salt Lake City.

During Ovard's tenure, the district has dealt with drought and booming growth valleywide, which have strained the district's water resources and necessitated the development of new sources. Most recently, the district struck a deal with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to collect more than a third of the water diverted by the Utah Lake System pipeline, which will draw water from Strawberry Reservoir. Construction will begin in 2007.

The district is also playing a key role in the Southwest Jordan Valley Groundwater Project, which uses reverse osmosis to reclaim water contaminated by decades of mining by Kennecott Utah Copper.

The district fought over the past decade for Kennecott to play a larger financial role in the project than had initially been proposed. In March, the first cleanup plant began pumping and filtering water. It will deliver drinking water to about 4,300 homes in South Jordan, West Jordan, Riverton and Herriman. A second plant, which will be run by the district, is scheduled to be up and running in early 2009.

In 2003, Ovard also oversaw a change in the way the district charges for water. Starting in July 2003, summer water rates were made higher than winter rates, in an attempt to encourage water conservation during peak usage months.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com