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Show Two avenues are being pursued by the Vernal City Council to lift the "not approved" label put on the city's water system by the State Board of Health, and open federal loan guarantees to the . area The council moved to indicate to the Central Utah Conservance District (CUCD) their interest in the district funding a treatment plant. The city must show action to the State Health Department that they are moving toward a treatment plant by providing a means of funding and a time schedule of construction to get off the unapproved unapprov-ed list. The council made the motion in order to get on the agenda of the CUCD board meeting Thursday, May 8. During the meeting the board will vote to fund the treatment plant or not. In the same breath, the council moved to challenge the "norapproved" label with the Safe Drinking Water Committee Board of Appeals. Coun-cilmen Coun-cilmen contended that the only time Vernal water hasn't met the state's standard is six to seven weeks of the year during high turbidity or when particles are in. the water during peak runoff periods. Monday the council met with the State Safe Drinking Committee to appeal the "not approved" label. According Ac-cording to councilman Karl Migliori, the meeting was very positive. "In order to change the 'not approved' ap-proved' rating," Migliori said, "all the council has to do is submit a plan to meet their standards and stick to it." May 22 the council will again meet with the State Safe Drinking Water Committee to present their plan to meet the standards. Migliori indicated an alternative plan to a treatment plant could be drilling wells. According to Shane Luck, city manager, who was also at the meeting, "the committee wants some assurance that Vernal is going to do something about their water system." In the meantime, Vernal joins more than one-third of Utah's 420 culinary water systems that have not been approved by the State Board of Health. According to Gayle J. Smith, executive director of the Bureau of Public Water Supplies, 105 culinary systems have received a "not approved" ap-proved" rating from the state. Water systems included in the list are . Manila, Jensen, Maeser, Flaming Gorge, South Price, Mona, Enterprise, Kamas, Fort Douglas and the Utah State Prison. Smith says 45 other water systems fail to meet state standards, but local officials are taking action to correct problems. The list includes Provo, Layton, Richfield, North Ogden, Duchesne, Milford, Nephi, Panguitch, Salem and Pleasant View. Vernal and Maeser are the largest cities to receive the "not approved" rating which stops all federal loans. |
