Deseret News, December 28, 1951

Flashback 1951:Water Purifying Accord Is Reached

City, State, U.S. Agree on S.L. Need of Program

By John R. Talmage

           Salt Lake City and the United States and Utah Public Health authorities tentatively agreed Friday on a program of treatment for Salt Lake City water.

           The major question still to be decided, however, was when and how it is to be put into effect.

           Meanwhile, both groups emphasized that city water currently is safe for culinary use and that dangers under discussion are potential and in the future.

           A meeting was held Friday morning in the office of Mayor Earl J. Glade at which all members of the City Commission engineers and officials of the City Water Department and City Atty. E. Ray Christensen discussed the problem with C. T. Wright, district engineer, U.S. Public Health Service and other representatives of the Utah State Health Department.

Support Engineers

            Both groups agreed that the basic program required for insuring purity of Salt Lake City is that recommended by the engineering firm of Black and Veatch, sanitary engineers who made a 15-month survey for the Salt Lake Metropolitan Water District.

            However, the entire program will cost approximately $16,000,000 and the city fathers seriously were concerned over the problem of raising the money.

            City officials agreed to submit in writing to the State Board of Health their immediate and long-range plans – with approximate dates.

            Mr. Wright, who had threatened to disapprove Salt Lake City water for use by interstate carriers unless effective action is taken immediately, said that if the water treatment program is begun satisfactorily, the U.S. Public Health Service would continue to give its stamp of approval to city water.

            Mr. Wright agreed that the city’s treated water meets health standards as regard to bacteria count, but said that raw water supplies do not meet requirements in matter of watershed purity and chemical analysis.

            The city’s tentative plans call for construction of sedimentation basins in the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, to be followed by either similar basins or a sand-filtration plant for City Creek Canyon waters; installation of electric eye automatic alarm systems for all city water sources; improvement of watershed control and year-round closing of City Creek Canyon until a satisfactory treatment plant is installed.