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Can I get my water tested?
The Park City Water Department tests the water supplied to the city consistently. We run tests throughout the system, every day in compliance with EPA and Utah Division of Drinking Water requirements. In addition, we collect samples for numerous constituents in eight representative areas of the city so that data for the quality of water that is delivered to your service is readily available. You can access this information on this site at Water Quality In Your Area.
It is not necessary to have your water tested. However, if you desire to have your water tested, the Park City Water Department will be glad to recommend local labs that are certified by the Utah Division of Drinking Water.
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How hard is my water?
The hardness of water is determined by the calcium and magnesium carbonates naturally dissolved in it. Across the U.S., there are waters that are very soft (low in carbonates) and waters that are very hard (high in carbonates).
Hardness is measured in parts per million or grains. Soft water has about 1 grain of minerals per gallon. Moderately hard water has about 3 to 7 grains of minerals per gallon. Very hard water has over 10 grains per gallon.
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Hardness
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| Upper and Lower Deer Valley |
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| Old Town |
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| Thaynes, Park Meadows, Prospector |
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Who controls my water's quality?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. sets national drinking water standards to protect public health. These standards are enforced in our state by the Utah Division of Drinking Water (http://drinkingwater.utah.gov/).
Depending on the regulation, Park City submits quality test results to the Division of Drinking Water on a monthly or annual basis to prove that we are providing water that meets all of the standards. All samples are analyzed in state approved labs. If there were ever a serious water quality problem, the state would immediately be notified and they would oversee our response and corrective actions.
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Why do water mains sometimes break?
Most of the water mains in Park City are made of iron, which makes them affordable and reliable. These water mains can last a long time if they do what they were made to do, transport water from one place to another. However, aging pipelines experience cracks and joint failures from time to time as a result of their age combined with small amounts of settling in support base.
Chances of breaks can be exacerbated by high pressures that occasionally occur due to the complex system of pressure zones in Park City. The Park City Water Department staff proactively perform monthly checks, maintenance and repair of all pressure reducing valves in the city to preclude breaks directly related to high pressures.
Unfortunately, water line breaks cause interruption of water service, damage to property, messy streets, and sometimes temporarily cause discolored water delivery to our customers. Water Department staff are on-call 24 hours a day and respond as quickly as possible to keep outages to a minimum
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Where does the Park City water supply come from?
Park City currently obtains culinary water from seven different sources: three wells, one spring, two tunnels, and one importation pipeline (Jordonelle Special Services District).
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How does the Water Department treat water?
Treatment of Sources:
Wells - Park City's wells are classified by the Utah Division of Drinking Water as ground water. The wells meet all water quality requirements for drinking water without treatment. Each of our three wells is mildly chlorinated prior to entering the distribution system.
Spring - Park City's Thiriot Spring is classified by the Utah Division of Drinking Water as ground water. The spring meets all water quality requirements for drinking water without treatment. Thiriot Spring is blended with Spiro water and chlorinated prior to entering the distribution system.
Spiro Tunnel - As the system currently operates, half of Park City's Spiro Tunnel water is treated through a pressure filtration process to reduce iron and arsenic levels. The treated water is blended with the remaining Park City Spiro Tunnel water flow and water from the Thiriot Spring. The blended water is chlorinated prior to entering the distribution system. (Note: A Spiro Plant upgrade for treatment of all Spiro Tunnel water is expected to be in place by early 2004.)
Judge Tunnel - Judge Tunnel water is chlorinated prior to entering the distribution system. During high run off when turbidity levels rise, water is turned back into the natural stream flow prior to chlorination and prior to entering the distribution system. (Note: A Judge Water Treatment Plant is currently in design so that the water normally turned away during high runoff can be treated and used.)
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Is fluoride in our drinking water?
There is a very low level of naturally occurring fluoride in Park City's water (see Water Quality in Your Area). The Park City Water Department does not add fluoride.
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