Water FAQ's

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Area of Park City	Hardness
	Parts per Million	Grains per Gallon
Upper and Lower Deer Valley	280 - 320	16 - 19
Old Town	200	11
Thaynes, Park Meadows, Prospector	575-625	33 - 37

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.

Particles can come from a variety of sources. One of the most common sources is the hot water heater.
Other sources that generate black particles in tap water is the disintegration of rubber materials used in plumbing fixtures. Gaskets and o-rings can disintegrate over time and collect in toilet tanks and around faucets.