LOCAL NEWS

Terminal Reservoir Rebuild Project Complete In Millcreek Area

Sep 26, 2018, 7:40 PM | Updated: 9:16 pm

MILLCREEK, Utah – A seven-year project to rebuild a critical reservoir on the east bench of Salt Lake County wrapped up this week to help keep the water flowing reliably.

If not for our water storage on the Wasatch Front, many of us might have run out of water weeks ago in this hot, dry summer.

The Terminal Reservoir in the Canyon Rim area – just inside I-215 on the east bench – now meets seismic standards for earthquake safety.

“This is a critical piece of infrastructure,” said Project Manager Greg Loscher.

He gave KSL a look around the brand-new reservoir during an open house earlier this week.

When you turn on the water tap in downtown Salt Lake City, the water comes from the Terminal Reservoir in Millcreek on 3300 South. The 20-acre reservoir facility sends water to 400,000 homes in the valley. Loscher said it was due for a rebuild.

The reservoir first opened for service of treated drinking water in 1951 with a capacity of 40 million gallons. An aqueduct brings the water from Deer Creek Reservoir 42 miles away. The water passes through the water treatment plant at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon on the way, before flowing the last eight miles to the reservoir.

“It reached the end of its design life, and also didn’t meet any current seismic standards,” said Loscher of the old reservoir.

The rebuilt reservoir adds 9 million gallons of capacity, he said, bringing the storage total to nearly 50 million gallons of water. That’s the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in 64 seconds. That’s why the reservoir also needed to be rebuilt to seismic standards for earthquake safety.

“Which is important to me and the residents of our city that live just west of these reservoirs, ” said Cheri Jackson, a Millcreek City Council Member who lives below the reservoir and represents those people.

“Hopefully, it will prevent a major flood in the event of an earthquake,” she said.

The district maintained storage throughout the entirety of the project by phasing in construction.

“We were able to maintain roughly 40 million gallons on site throughout the project,” said Mike Devries, General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy.

The water district can build another 11,000,000 gallon reservoir on site when it is needed.

Jackson points out, the added storage is another reminder that we always need to slow the flow in Utah.

“We have more and more people coming into our valley every year, and it’s important that we are conservation minded and treat water as the precious commodity that it is,” she said.

“Nobody knows it’s there. It’s all underground and it just quietly does its job and you never think about it you just turn on your tap and drink your water.”

The total cost of the rebuild was $42 million.

KSL 5 TV Live

Local News

Man being taken on stretcher to an ambulance figures blurred...

Lauren Steinbrecher

West Jordan man trying ‘to be funny’ allegedly shot and killed best friend

Investigators believe a joke between friends turned into the shooting death of a West Jordan man. The fatal mistake is also turning into a message police hope every gun owner can hear.

7 hours ago

Matt Gephardt meeting with Denis Hawkins after a rental car company after they ignored his calls fo...

Matt Gephardt

Get Gephardt helps Spanish Fork man clear up insurance claim for rental car damage

Get Gephardt clears up an international rental car insurance standstill.

7 hours ago

small housing units...

Debbie Worthen

Utah’s micro-shelter pilot program gets extension to help homeless

A micro-shelter pilot program will stay in place for at least six more months.

7 hours ago

A trench used for training a team of firefighters to be a part of Utah County's Special Response Te...

Shelby Lofton

Heavy Rescue school students respond to real-life emergency during trench collapse training

A team of firefighter students training to be on a Special Response Team rescued a man buried in a trench collapse the week they'd been studying trenches.

7 hours ago

The Cache County Council took up the e-mail controversy...

Mike Anderson

A single text stirs political fallout in Cache County election

A text message is blowing up into a whole lot of political fallout in Cache County.

8 hours ago

A map shows where the Chief Toquer reservoir will connect to the Ash Creek Reservoir....

Cary Schwanitz

Feds pour $7 million into southern Utah water pipeline project

A project to build a new pipeline that will run from the Ash Creek Reservoir to the Chief Toquer Reservoir received $7 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Terminal Reservoir Rebuild Project Complete In Millcreek Area