West-side Salt Lake County residents asked to stop outdoor water use

WEST JORDAN — More than 600,000 residents on the west side of Salt Lake County have been asked to stop all outdoor water use while crews work to repair a punctured pipe.

A bulldozer working on the Provo Reservoir Canal Enclosure Project punctured the 72-inch Jordan Aqueduct about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District officials said.

The aqueduct is expected to be shut down for at least 24 hours, officials said. Because it is such a critical part of the district's water supply, Jordan Valley Water officials are asking customers in West Valley, West Jordan, South Jordan, Draper, Riverton, Herriman, Bluffdale, Kearns and Magna to shut off their sprinklers systems until further notice.

Stopping outdoor water use will ensure the district has a sufficient supply of water for indoor use, said Richard Bay, the district's general manager.

"The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District can continue making water deliveries for indoor use," Bay said, adding that water quality will not be negatively impacted by the repairs.

He also said customers should not horde water during the repairs.

The Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy has made some water capacity available to the Jordan Valley district from Deer Creek Reservoir, Bay said.

The Jordan Aqueduct supplies 175 million gallons of water per day to the district, which distributes water to roughly 620,000 customers in the Salt Lake Valley west of the Jordan River.

Two-thirds of the demand for water in the Jordan Valley district service area is used to water lawns and gardens, Bay said.

The aqueduct pipeline was damaged Wednesday morning in Pleasant Grove, where crews were working on a project to enclose the 21-mile Provo Reservoir Canal into a 10½-foot diameter pipeline.

A bulldozer inadvertently struck the pipeline, making a hole about 5 inches to 6 inches in diameter, said Keith Denos, general manager for the Provo River Water Users Association.

Crews were working to repair the pipe Wednesday evening and estimated the work would be done early Thursday morning.

The punctured pipe did not hinder the district in supplying water needed to fight fires in Herriman on Wednesday, Bay said.

District officials will be posting updates on repair of the pipeline on Facebook and Twitter.

E-mail: jpage@desnews.com