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- Routine inspection of Nephi City drinking water system revealed five minor items needing attention
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DRINKING WATER • Nephi City passed its drinking water survey, but five minor items will need to be corrected. Above, Nephi's blue and White tank above the golf course looks out on the Juab Valley and puffy white clouds in the morning sun
By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
A recent survey of Nephi's drinking water system revealed five minor items needing attention.
"The Nephi City drinking water system was the subject of a routine inspection conducted on August 23," said Randy McKnight, city administrator.
Three of the items related to the chlorinator building, one to the Marsh Springs collection area and one to the silver storage tank, said McKnight.
To put the issue into perspective, he said, the city could lose approval if they received 150 demerits but the city had only generated eight demerits.
"Ours will go away when we take the necessary steps to achieve compliance," said McKnight. "We do have a current emergency plan and so we received 10 points."
The Utah Division of Drinking Water, in the Department of Environmental Quality, establishes standards and rules for public drinking water systems.
"Part of the process to insure compliance with those rules and standards is to perform periodic surveys, or inspections, of water systems," he said.
The venting system on the silver water tank needs to be changed, McKnight said.
In the era when the water tank was constructed, a vent cover, sometimes referred to as a "Chinese Hat" was used. That system is no longer permitted and the vent must now have a pipe and screen system.
Plans are being designed to allow that conversion. As soon as the plans are completed the vent may be changed for the new approved system.
The other items needing to be addressed is the chlorinator building.
"The chlorine we use is a gas and the system we use is a gas injection system," he said.
The gas is injected into the system underground which presents a venting challenge.
"As you will recall, one high priority in the budget at budget time was to have funding to convert the system into an above-ground process," McKnight said.
"We are in the process of drawing up plans and will then consider cost estimates for the two projects," said McKnight.
The third problem was one that needed to be clarified rather than fixed, he said.
"At Marsh Spring a stock-type fence needs to be built around the collection area," he said. "There are no stock there so we can request a non-grazing exception."
Wildlife, such as deer, are notconsidered in the requirement for a stock fence. Only domestic cattle need to be considered.
"There are no cattle kept in the vicinity of the collection area," said McKnight.
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