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Show AWD voices water concerns Dear Editor: For the first time since its inception in 1974, the Ashley Valley Water and Sewer Improvement District (AVD) has become a water deliverer. The AVD recently installed a pipeline extending exten-ding from Air Village Hills to 1000 South at about 3300 West. It proceeds to about 2700 West on 1000 South. The extension is justified by a contract between Uintah Uin-tah County and AVD which allows the latter to transport water through the water line of Uintah County by a contract con-tract between Vernal City and AVD dated 29 January 1979 which provides that Vernal City will sell AVD water through a master meter, by a contract between Maeser Water and Sewer Improvement Im-provement District and AVD which permits per-mits the latter to purchase water from the Maeser Water and Sewer Improvement Improve-ment District, and by an agreement between General Properties Inc. and AVD which allows AVD to transport water through the water system of General Properties Inc. to a water extension ex-tension line belonging to AVD. The water pipeline extension of AVD provides water service to the William Holfeltz, Berle Bell, Rick Bell, and Ben Clark residences. Several people who own land along the pipeline extension at about 3300 West from 1500 South to 1000 South have applied to AVD for water connections. Prior to 1961, the Holfeltzs obtained water from the Ashley Valley Upper Canal for culinary use. Eighteen years .- ago, the canal companies of Ashley ; Valley contracted with the Bureau of ; Reclamation and Uintah Conservancy : District to store water in Steinaker : Reservoir from November to May each : year. The Holfeltzs had stock in a canal : company. The Bureau of Reclamation : was obligated by contract to provide : them water in a pipeline system to ; replace what was lost to them in the : Ashley Valley Upper Canal from ; November to May. : In 1961, the Holfeltzs paid for and in- : stalled a 1500 gallon cistern which they : filled two-thirds full with water hauled to the cistern on a truck with a 1,000 : gallon tank. The cistern was used : throughout the year. The use of the - cistern requires much inconvenience. On an average, the cistern has needed .-' to be filled two-thirds full every eight :: days although when the Holfeltzs had visitors, the cistern often emptied in three or four days. The water that has : been hauled to the Holfeltzs has cost $7 per 1,000 gallons, thus totaling about $28 :: per month, seven times as much as Ver-;': Ver-;': nal city residents pay for water each r. month. About six to eight years ago, the ;; Holfeltzs applied to Vernal City for a r- water connection paying $650 in the pro-: pro-: cess. Subsequent to their application, " the Holfeltzs were told that another con-': con-': nection would have to be purchased nearby along the road passing their ' house so another one was bought for '. $650 by another party. Later, the 1 Holfeltzs were instructed that a third :. connection in their vicinity would have to be purchased. It was. Subsequently, : Vernal City again reneged on its pro-: pro-: mise and demanded that a fourth con- nection along the road passing the ; Holfeltzs' house be purchased. Hence, a '- fourth connection was bought. A total of ' $2600 had been paid for water connec-: connec-: lions in the neighborhood of the ':. Holfeltzs. Mr. and Mrs. Holfeltz, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Ruppe, and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Aycock owned the four connections. Despite the patience and frustrations of . those people and their families, Vernal City decided not to extend its water pipeline system to their residences :' although the Bureau of Reclamation was contractually obligated to provide '. funds to do so. Three years ago, three to five years after the connection fees : were paid, those monies were returned by mail to the four aforementioned par-: par-: ties. : On 4 March 1980, Mrs. Holfeltz elatedly elated-ly expressed sincere and deep gratitude for now having the availability of piped water to her residence. She stated that her husband needed to do a little more work to allow the water to flow through : the taps of their home. Three different sources have slated that the previous city manager inl.cn- tionally directed the geographical placement of the water distribution system of Ashley Valley to realize de facto zoning that conformed with the desires of city officials. Moreover, the city has used the delivery of piped water as a lever for gaining property and increasing its tax base by requiring parties to annex to the city in order to be entitled to water service. From 1972 to 1974, Vernal City denied connections to people living in areas of Ashley Valley where water pressure was lowest. Vernal city officials of-ficials affirmed that the capacity of the water system was too small to permit more water users. Engineers with Uintah Engineering confirm the belief of ASV that Ashley Spring provides more than enough water volume and potential pressure to serve the present residents of Ashley Valley with water at excellent pressure and even enough to allow an appreciable ap-preciable increase in water users. Much water volume and pressure is lost at the water cholorinator at Merkley Park and considerable pressure is lost in the Ashley Valley water distribution system due to unlinked "dead-end" lines. Two water lines, one that is 16" in diameter and one that is 20" in diameter, supply water to a point just above the chlorinator. The water pressure in those lines is about 140 pounds per square inch. At the chlorinator, a small pipe, perhaps 1" in diameter, leaves the 16" pipe, passes into the chlorinator, leaves the chlorinator, and loops back into the 16" line. If water pressure all along that 1' line were constant, probably no water would flow into it because of the relatively great difference in size between bet-ween the 1" pipe and the 16" transmission transmis-sion line. However, a pressure reducing valve has been placed in the 16" pipe between the point where the 1" line leaves the large pipe to pass the chlorinator and where the 1" pipe returns to the large line, thus creating a pressure differential. The pressure below the pressure reducing valve is 50-70 pounds per square Inch, less than one-half the pressure above the valve. Hence, the pressure reducing valve causes a tremendous loss of pressure. Only a small percentage of the water in the 16" pipe flows into the 1" pipe and thus to the chlorinator. At one spot in the chlorinator, the 1" pipe velocity of the water in the pipe to increase, thereby decreasing the pressure in the pipe and creating a vacuum which sucks injected chlorine gas into the pipe. After the chlorinated water returns to the 16" pipe, the chlorine becomes mixed with all the water in that pipe. Water pressure and water volume are lost by another means at the chlorinator. Because the pressure relief valve immediately above the chlorinator is malfunctioning, Is set too low, or is simply not working, water is actually dumped Just above the chlorinator into Dry Fork Creek a few yards above its confluence with Ashley Creek. We invite the public to view this inexplicable waste of water that has already been de-sanded. The amount of dumped water is considerable, often In the winter, approximately equaling the amount permitted to enter the pielino system. That that amount of water Is expelled |