We are very pleased to present to you this year's Annual Water Quality Report. This report is designed to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We want you to understand the efforts we make to continually improve the water treatment process and protect our water resources. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water.

Salt Lake County Service Area # 3 is located at Snowbird, Utah and provides water to the Snowbird and Alta areas of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Our customer base in the winter exceeds 3,000, and we have a full time staff of three as well as a three person part time staff of night operators. We operate one water treatment plant in the Wasatch Drain Tunnel, three storage reservoirs that store over 30 million gallons of water, two pumping plants, and approximately 5 miles of distribution piping. All of our system operators are continually trained and are State certified in water treatment or distribution, at levels above those required by law.

Our water is derived from two ground water sources. Our largest source is the Wasatch Drain Tunnel. This is the largest mine tunnel and water source in the area and was driven in the early 1900’s to drain water from approximately 50 miles of silver mines at Alta. The Wasatch Drain Tunnel supplies most of our water and can be pumped to any customer in our district. The Peruvian mine tunnel, located high in Peruvian gulch supplies the Blackjack and Sugarplum areas. During the summer months extra water from this source supplements the Wasatch Drain Tunnel and supplies the Snowbird Resort.

Salt Lake County Service Area #3 has a Drinking Water Source Protection Plan that is available for your review. It contains information about our source protection zones, potential contamination sources, and management strategies to protect our drinking water. The Wasatch Drain Tunnel has been determined to have a medium susceptibility level to potential sources of contamination, the potential contamination sources that could affect the Wasatch Drain Tunnel include: roads, residential areas, commercial recreation areas, and holding tanks. Additionally the Peruvian Mine Tunnel source is in a remote location, and there are no potential contamination sources in the protection zones, so we consider it to have a low susceptibility level to potential contamination events. We have also developed management strategies to further protect our sources from contamination. If you have any questions or concerns regarding source protection, contact the office at 801-278-9660 to review our source protection plan.

There are many connections to our water distribution system. When connections are properly installed and maintained, the concerns are very minimal. However, unapproved and improper piping changes or connections can adversely affect not only the availability, but also the quality of the water. A cross connection may let polluted water or even chemicals mingle into the water supply system when not properly protected. This not only compromises the water quality but can also affect your health. So, what can you do? Do not make or allow improper connections at your homes. Even that unprotected garden hose lying in the puddle next to the driveway is a cross connection. The unprotected lawn sprinkler system after you have fertilized or sprayed is also a cross connection. When the cross connection is allowed to exist at your home it will affect you and your family first. If you’d like to learn more about helping to protect the quality of our water, call us for further information about ways you can help.

In the following table you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms we've provided the following definitions:

Non-Detects (ND) - laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present.

ND/Low - High - For water systems that have multiple sources of water, the Utah Division of Drinking Water has given water systems the option of listing the test results of the constituents in one table, instead of multiple tables. To accomplish this, the lowest and highest values detected in the multiple sources are recorded in the same space in the report table.

Parts per million (ppm) or Milligrams per liter (mg/l) - one part per million corresponds to one minute in two years or a single penny in $10,000.

Parts per billion (ppb) or Micrograms per liter (ug/l) - one part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000.

Parts per trillion (ppt) or Nanograms per liter (nanograms/l) - one part per trillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000,000.

Parts per quadrillion (ppq) or Picograms per liter (picograms/l) - one part per quadrillion corresponds to one minute in 2,000,000,000 years or one penny in $10,000,000,000,000.

Picocuries per liter (pCi/L) - picocuries per liter is a measure of the radioactivity in water.

Millirems per year (mrem/yr) - measure of radiation absorbed by the body.

Million Fibers per Liter (MFL) - million fibers per liter is a measure of the presence of asbestos fibers that are longer than 10 micrometers.

Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) - nephelometric turbidity unit is a measure of the clarity of water. Turbidity in excess of 5 NTU is just noticeable to the average person.

Action Level (AL) - the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT) - A treatment technique is a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) - The "Maximum Allowed" (MCL) is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) - The "Goal"(MCLG) is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG) - The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.
Date- Because of required sampling time frames i.e. yearly, 3 years, 4 years and 6 years, sampling dates may seem out-dated.

Waivers (W)- Because some chemicals are not used or stored in areas around drinking water sources, some water systems have been given waivers that exempt them from having to take certain chemical samples, these waivers are also tied to Drinking Water Source Protection Plans.

We constantly monitor the water supply for various constituents. We have detected radon in the finished water supply of the Wasatch Drain Tunnel in 1 out of 1 samples tested. There is no federal regulation for radon levels in drinking water. Exposure to air transmitted radon over a long period of time may cause adverse health effects.

Radon is a radioactive gas which is naturally occurring in some ground water. It poses a lung cancer risk when the gas is released from your water into the air (as occurs during showering, bathing, or washing dishes or clothes), and a stomach cancer risk when you drink water containing radon. Radon gas released from drinking water is a relatively small part of the total radon in air. Other sources are radon gas from soil which enter homes through foundations, and radon inhaled directly while smoking cigarettes. Experts are not sure exactly what the cancer risk is from a given level of radon in your drinking water. If you are concerned about radon in your home, tests are available to determine the total exposure level. For additional information on how to have your home tested contact Project Environment Radon Hotline 800-458-0145.

Both of our sources have been tested for giardia cysts and cryptosporidium oocysts. The tests indicated that these cysts were completely undetectable in both sources. These microscopic organisms enter rivers and lakes from the feces of humans and animals. While they are present in our streams and lakes, they are seldom found in treated systems or well-protected ground water sources like ours. Healthy adults exposed to these organisms may experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach pains. Immuno-compromised individuals should take extra precautions to avoid exposure to these organisms.

As can be seen from this report, your water is safe from your tap. All sources of drinking water are subject to potential contamination by constituents that are naturally occurring or are man made. Those constituents can be microbes, organic or inorganic chemicals, or radioactive materials.

Maximum Contaminant Levels or MCLs are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constit-uents, a person would have to drink 2 liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect.

Salt Lake County Service Area # 3 and the Town of Alta receive our water from ground water that is recently recharged by the snowmelt and surface water systems high in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Any type of pollution in these high alpine watersheds can cause long lasting or even permanent damage to our valuable drinking water sources and fragile ecosystems. The canyon is also a major water resource to the Salt Lake Valley. We are all stewards of this watershed and we must play an active role in the protection of it. Prevention is much cheaper than water treatment. Please keep a watchful eye and report any watershed violations or suspicious activity to Town of Alta, Salt Lake City, or us. Please observe the following common sense guidelines:

        Do not play in or near the bank of any stream, lake, reservoir, or wetlands area.

        Do not bring dogs or other pets into the canyon watersheds that are not specifically licensed for such. If they are – use good sanitary practices while caring for

                   the animals’ needs.

         Do not empty or drain any oil, gasoline, solvents, paints, grease, or other hazardous household or commercial contaminants into the canyon environment –  

                  regardless of quantity.

         Do not play on or tamper with any of our water storage reservoirs or facilities on the mountain.

        Stay away from high erosion areas and do your best to plant water efficient native vegetation in areas of your property that are susceptible to soil erosion.

        Do not remove any native vegetation or tamper with any erosion control devices.

        Use public restrooms when skiing or recreating on the mountain.

        Use only a minimal amount of salt on your driveways in the winter.

        Do not litter and keep all of your solid waste contained in animal-proof and weather-resistant enclosures or areas           

In our continuing efforts to maintain a safe and dependable water supply it is always necessary to make improvements in your water system. There are portions of the distribution system that are over 35 years old. We will continue to replace or upgrade them as needed. The costs of some of these upgrades or improvements have been reflected in the rate structure. Effective in July of 2009, your water rates will increase 8% and your Sewer rates will increase 15%. Rate adjustments may also be necessary in the future in order to address some of these larger concerns and improvements. In the past, some of our customers have asked our Board of Trustees and management staff to increase the discount for paying residential water and sewer bills annually from 5% to 10%. While paying annually does simplify our billing process and reduces postage on both ends, we still must read all meters monthly and track the water use. The Board voted not to increase the discount at this time. Many of our customers do not consume the 8000 gallons allotted monthly as part of the residential water base rate and we have been asked if we could reduce our rates because of this. Unfortunately we cannot. We have compared our rate structures with many other comparable water utilities and our rates are truly reasonable! In fact our customer’s who use 8000 gallons a month, pay less than one cent for every gallon. That penny includes the cost of treating the waste as well. If you don’t use the 8000 gallon allotted, you obviously pay a little more per gallon but you can rest assured knowing that the water and sewer are available to you.

We also love to show off our system. Please call us if you would like to tour our treatment plant in the Wasatch Drain Tunnel or learn about the mining and natural resource history of our area. Many engineers and scientists tour our tunnel storage and treatment project each year. It is a model project for demonstrating an environmentally safe method for converting mine operations, once a natural hazard, into clean water storage and treatment projects.

Again, we ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources and the canyon watershed. These assets are irreplaceable, and they are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.

Thank you for allowing us to continue providing you, your family or business with clean, quality, water this year. We are pleased to keep you informed and educated on all water matters within our service area. We will continue to present you with this report every year. Please call our office (801-278-9660) or visit our web site www.canyonwater.com if you have questions, concerns or are just curious about what we do.

Keith Hanson – General Manager

Monica Lisenbee – Office Manager

Steve McIntosh – System Supervisor