The Salt Lake City watershed extends from City Creek to Little Cottonwood on the eastside of the valley. It is this area that produces much of the water that we drink. Protection of the watershed is a high priority with the City, as demonstrated by its renewal of the '88 Watershed Master Plan. Currently the City is updating the10 year old Master Plan.

Watershed protection will be of special interest during the Olympic games. It is anticipated that the Salt Lake ski areas, although not holding Olympic events, will be highly impacted by visitors coming in for the competitions, with many coming from foreign counties. Both Little and Big Cottonwood areas are expected to incur heavier than normal usage. Since the Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993, the water community has been more aware than ever of the impacts of watershed protection. The elimination of raw water contamination is considered an important tool in preventing waterborne disease outbreaks. While we invite large numbers of foreign visitors to our watersheds, we must be aware that that invitation includes the organisms that they carry and that those organisms may not commonly be found in our community, or our raw water supply. Much of the current water industry concern is over new and reemerging pathogens. However, Salt Lake City's answer to this is its commitment to the EPA Partnership for Safe Water and the optimization of treatment  processes.

The proper functioning of our waste disposal systems is critical to preserving our stream water quality. Systems must be in place to handle the sanitation necessary for a large number of visitors. These facilities must be convenient and readily available to avoid contamination of the watershed. This  increased microbial loading also demands vigilance at our drinking water treatment facilities, including being prepared to treat water more aggressively during the Olympic games.

As the sites for the Olympic events are being planned, the inclusion of  wastewater facilities is of great importance. Containment of waste materials that harbor foreign and disease-causing organisms helps to protect the health of our community. The legacy usage of Olympic venue sites makes the inclusion of  sewer systems a long-term benefit to the community.

Backcountry activities are a common cause of accidents in the mountains. During the Olympic games the concerns over backcountry activities will require additional manpower for patrols and rescue work. Overnight camping and fires were common during the Lillihammer Olympics. Smoke from campfires caused a vail over the access roads. Transportation into and around the Wasatch Front will be difficult enough without a smokey fog. It is our intention to disallow overnight  camping in the City's watersheds, and we would encourage venue sites to adopt similar regulations. The general disturbance associated with large numbers of people congregated in watershed areas may lead to erosion and increased  turbidity in the streams. With these winter events, we can anticipate that type of impact through the spring months following the games. This may lead to higher operational cost at our water treatment facilities for at least half of the year 2002.

A significant concern during the Olympics would be a massive snowstorm hindering traffic on the major thoroughfares. In preparation for those problems, it would be appropriate to do additional work on the roads in anticipation of a  storm. I-80 would be the most likely area of concern here on the Wasatch Front. Unfortunately, the runoff from I-80 goes directly into Mt. Dell Reservoir. The  potential for this water body to be impacted by road storm maintenance, and heavy salt usage, is very high. As a consequence, the City is considering the closure of the surface water treatment plant in Parleys Canyon during the games, and go to the expense of using well water.

Prior to the games it is essential to identify priority-testing protocols  that could help provide an indication of the validity of threats on our water systems. These testing protocols should be routine so that during the games we could have a level of confidence that the systems had not been breached. During the games, our water systems must be secured and monitored. Access to raw water supplies, reservoirs, treatment facilities and distribution systems must be  protected from intrusions, and surveillance measures must be on line, whether  they are automated or live patrols.

Once the water is in our plants, optimal treatment will be essential. We must  be observant of any bizarre events in the plant, such as additional chemical  demands, that may indicate a peculiar water condition. Our treatment systems should be up to date, tried and true, before the games. Introduction of new  techniques just prior to the games could leave us in the same condition that Sidney Australia is currently battling. Sidney has experienced unusual weather events and water conditions with a new and still untried treatment technology. They started testing for Cryptosporidium, and since they didn’t have a long history of results, high numbers created a concern, culminating in repeated  "boil orders." Sidney has not had any reported disease, and these numbers  indicate that it may have been a normal condition.

When there are major changes in a treatment process, and workers are unfamiliar with the technology, there is an increased potential for failure. Our goal is to be experienced with every facet of our facilities, new and old, well  in advance of the demands of the games.

The protection of our distribution system, both finished water storage reservoirs and distribution pipelines, is another step in preserving our water  quality. Again, security on our system will be critical. Automated or manual observation of our facilities will be required round the clock to maintain the  integrity of our water supply.

During a recent water emergency, the need for adequate preparation for an  emergency became apparent. Basic systems need to be developed to meet the  demands of minor and major incidents. While we are a large utility, and did have some emergency plans in place, it would be unlikely that the small communities impacted by the Olympics would be adequately prepared. One critical issue that we observed during our minor event was that there were’nt enough phone lines to handle large numbers of incoming calls. Assistance with emergency planning for  small communities would be critical to their success in dealing with potential  and real problems during the Olympics. Availability of temporary phone lines might be an example of this type of plan.

Many Olympic issues are truly future community issues. As our State grows, the issues surrounding security, protection and viability of our water systems become more everyday issues. We will be faced with these truly "Big City"  concerns on a continuous basis, long beyond the Olympic events. We are already  facing concerns over the explosive recreational and growth related uses of the watersheds, and the need to provide adequate protection to preserve water  quality. As the Olympics become a reality, the beauty of our communities will no longer be a "best kept secret."  We must be prepared to recognize that our  watersheds are critical to our future and that their protection should be everyone’s concern now, during the Olympics and into the future.

Florence Reynolds can be reached at  801-483-6964