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Show abort Kun Worries Over Engineer Awards Park City Use of Spiro Water Park City's short term water worries ended for the v most pari this week when State Engineer Dee Hansen approved a change application applica-tion for 60 percent of the water rights in the Sprio Tunnel. Park City's application applica-tion to change the nature of the use of the water from mining and agriculture to culinary has been on file with the Engineer since August 1981. Park City has developed a gravity pipeline from a point nearly a mile inside the old mine tunnel which, according accord-ing to a recently released water survey by J. J. Johnson and Assoc., is capable of producing over 1.300 gallons per minute. ' The report concluded at peak water use times, Park City residences could consume close to 914 gallons of water per day (600 indoor and 314 outdoor). The survey continued con-tinued to point out if every, existing unit or residence inPark City was inhabited at one time, the existing municipal water resources would fall short by over 1,00 gallons per minute of. the ability to meet that peak demand. The study continued if Park City was given the right to use the Spiro Tunnel water it would enable the city to continue to grow in the short term or until additional water resources are developed. Although the gravity line can produce 1.300 gallons per minute, the Johnson Report indicates almost 5.000 gallons per minute could be produced if pumps were installed in the Spiro Tunnel. In order to utilize the entire 5.000 gallon per minute capacity of the resource. Park City must also receive a change application for the remaining 40 percent of the rights in the tunnel, n application for the remaining rights is on file with the State Engineer but complicated legal ramifications ramifica-tions may delay that determination. deter-mination. The water rights in the Spiro Tunnel were divided between Salt Lake City and United Park City Mines Co. following a lengthy legal action in 1974. Salt Lake claimed the water on the premise that had the tunnel not been built, the water would have flowed naturally down Big Cottonwood Creek. United Park 'claimed the water because they built the tunnel, that ultimately brought it to the surface. The action ended with the courts awarding Salt Lake 60 percent of the water rights and United Park 40 percent. In January 1980, Park City agreed to lease Salt Lake's water rights in the tunnel for 25 years and those rights were the subject of this week's ruling by the State Engineer. Park City's prinicpal oppo-nant oppo-nant its efforts to have the use of the Spiro water changed was the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District. The District represents repre-sents downstream water users along the Weber River who claimed they had prior rights to the water because they have used it for many years for farming and agriculture. agri-culture. According to District Director Direc-tor Keith Jensen the group is seriously contemplating appealing ap-pealing the recent decision to the courts. Despite the Spiro water, Park City must still develop additional water sources to support its continued growth into the next century. One plan, thought to be the most economical would be to run a pipeline from existing wells and springs in East Canyon to Park City. Prior to the State Engineer's decision that plan was considered as a priority. Now it is still a consideration but a long range plan rather than a short term priority. |
