Bulletin Board

Mayor Declares Water Emergency

On August 3, 2000 a 42-inch water main leak required a call for outside watering restrictions

August 8, 2000

At 10:00 p.m. August 2, 2000 a leak was reported on a major 42-inch water supply main at 1820 South 3450 West, Salt Lake City, Utah.  The large water supply main conveys water supply to the city’s west side and downtown areas, including the International Airport. Water is conveyed to 12-million gallon Victory Road Reservoir (VRR) that provides the necessary distribution storage for water service and fire flows.

What would have ordinarily been a routine repair job turned out to be a significant event. In the midst of a string of extremely hot and dry days, the water supply demand was over 200 million gallons per day. Because of the lack of precipitation and high temperatures, the fire potential was extremely high. Wildfires in northern Utah darkened Salt Lake City skies and fouled air quality. On the previous day, the lower elevation watersheds east of Salt Lake City were closed to all open fires in recreation areas, reflecting the fire concern.

As the repair work continued through the night, the water level in the Victory Road Reservoir dropped to 2.5 feet by early morning. The reservoir, when full, holds 26.5 feet of water.  Because of the weather conditions, the water delivered into the system on the preceding day reached 226 million gallons, the highest volume recorded during the summer demand season.  To meet the high demand and increase the water level in the VRR, water flow from the Jordan Aqueduct was increased from 25 million gallons per day to 38 on August 1.

At about 5:30 a.m. August 3, concern over the level of the VRR prompted Mayor Rocky Anderson to declare an emergency and request all water customers to not use water outdoors. The announcement hit the airwaves at about 7:00 a.m. Later in the day, Salt Lake County Commissioner Brent Overson (covering Salt Lake City's water service area in eastern unincorporated Salt Lake County) and Holladay City Mayor Liane Stillman issued similar declarations.

With the 42-inch main out of service, the flow from the Jordan Aqueduct was reduced from 38 million gallons to an estimated 10 million gallons per day.  East side regulators were adjusted to allow as much water as possible to flow across the valley from east to west. Water restrictions were necessary on the east side, including Salt Lake County customers, to reduce the demand on the Big Cottonwood Conduit and Salt Lake Aqueduct, making more water available to keep the reservoir levels up on the east side. Subsequently, this made more water flow to the affected west side and the VRR.

As a water conservation measure, the public is encouraged to water during the cooler night hours. Irrigation demand is at its greatest during the early morning hours. The VRR continued to drop to its lowest level of 2.5 feet until 8:00 a.m. when it leveled off. The emergency order for conservation was working.

Water Crews work to repair 42-inch main .

Crews worked through the morning to excavate the pipe and determine the cause of the leak.  Because of the Emergency Order, the media was very interested and surrounded the work area. Jeff Niermeyer, Public Utilities Deputy Director, assumed the work site Public Information Officer (PIO) duties. Television cameras and news reporters watched the work proceed while helicopter circled above.

When the excavation site was cleared of water and mud, the 42-inch main leak was found to be caused by a 4-inch drain valve. The bolts that fastened the valve to the main had corroded and with the pressure acting on the valve, it was pushed off the pipe, allowing water to escape from the 4-inch tap hole. Fortunately this was an easy repair job.

At 2:30 p.m. the repair had been completed and the 42-inch water main filled and tested. The water level in the VRR was 10.9 feet.

Mayor Anderson issued a press release declaring the emergency over but requested that in order to allow the system to fully recover outside watering be restricted until 11:59 p.m.

Jeff Niermeyer, Deputy Director, gives on-site television interview.

The overwhelming public response in conserving water averted possible water supply interruptions and loss of fire protection. It is estimated that 36,000,000 gallons of water was conserved during the 16 hours that the restriction was in place. Other than a few customers near the leak site, no others were out of water. Essential water service for residential, industrial and commercial customers was fully met and fire protection was not compromised. Business was not affected by the emergency measure. Later that day at a City Council briefing, Mayor Anderson thanked the City’s water customers for their cooperation in complying with the Emergency Order. With their aid, a potentially serious situation was successfully dealt with.

Questions regarding this article should be directed to: leroy.hooton@ci.scl.ut.us