BLUFFDALE, Utah — With Utah's melting record snowpack comes a lot of sediment, leaving some to worry whether the sediment won't get filtered out of the drinking water.
However, officials with the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, which supplies water to the southern end of Salt Lake County, says residents have nothing to worry about.
“We very much take for granted that when we turn on our tap, the water will always be there, and it’s always safe to drink,” said Shazelle Terry, assistant general manager of the district
Managers at the largest water treatment plant in the state are pleased with how the system is working.
“This treatment plant can treat 180 million gallons of water a day. And so, we have 16 filters; our filters are made up of ten inches of sand at the bottom, and 20 inches of anthracite, which is basically like coal. And there are small, teeny tiny pieces of coal, and they have pores in them. So as the water goes down through the filter, anything that's remaining, that hasn't settled out in the other part of the treatment process, gets stuck in those pores," Terry explained. "So it takes it out of the water. So that water that's coming out the bottom is very, very clean."
The filters run about 75-100 hours before being cleaned.
Water managers are aslo excited about new technology that uses “plate settlers” which increases the filtering surface and speeds up the process. They’re currently being installed will allow the plant to go from treating 180 million gallons of water a day to treating 250 million gallons without increasing the footprint of the plant.
"By adding these plate packs, these plate settlers, we're able to use this existing footprint and get another 75 million gallons a day out of this footprint." said Terry.
Engineers started planning 50 years ago for the growth being seen this year, and the water resources to keep up with it.
"It's a precious resource. It's a finite resource. And if we're going to continue to have population growth through our own children and grandchildren who want to stay here, we're going to have to be able to supply additional people, and that's going be really important that we conserve, and use that water as efficiently as we can," Terry said.
Water managers are grateful for all Utahns who have worked so hard to conserve water. They say the state has done an excellent job, but because the drought has put Utah so far behind in regards to water stores, they hope the attitude of water conservation will continue long into the future.
