Blake ApgarFaster flows are expected out of Big Cottonwood Canyon starting early next week, but officials say Salt Lake City water users need not worry about the runoff affecting what comes out of their taps.
Department of Public Utilities spokesperson Chloe Morroni said the treatment facility at the mouth of the canyon will accept water only up to a certain level of dirtiness. If water gets too dirty — as can happen when runoff brings with it sediment and debris — officials will let the stream bypass the treatment facility and flow into the Jordan River.
Morroni said the facility is in good shape for now, but if increased flows do force it to temporarily stop treating water, residents won’t feel any disruption of service. The department can use water from other treatment plants or water districts.
A pause on using the facility likely would last only during peak flows and not persist for the entirety of the runoff season. Runoff from the Wasatch Mountains is expected to wind down next month.
Blake joined The Tribune in March 2022 to cover city and county government before becoming an editor in 2024. He is a University of Minnesota graduate who started his journalism career in Las Vegas, where he covered local government, state politics and the depletion of the Colorado River. He is dad to a Golden Retriever named Woodward.