Document Type

Report

Publication Date

1-1-1980

Abstract

Scope of Report: This report analyzes the impact of the proposed MX Missile complex upon existing municipal water supply and waste treatment systems serving selected communitites either near the perimeter or within the Utah portion of the proposed MX complex boundary. As can be seen from the location map in Figure 1, possible sites for elements within the total MX missile complex have been identified in 14 Utah desert valleys in the five counties, from north to south, of Tooele, Juab, Millard, Beaver, and Iron. The 60,000 people, who live in these counties according to the 1975 census, are largely located in their eastern ends of the base of a series of mountain ranges with numerous peaks over 10,000 feet. Sites closer to these mountains have a more dependable and higher quality water supply from the snowpack runoff. Surface runoff evaporates or infiltrates underground and waters generally become more saline as one moves further west into the desert. The desert ranges, separting the 14 valleys, are lowever, generate much less runoff, and streams flow only for short periods, during spring snowmelt or summer thunderstorm, to recharge aquifers along the basin margins. Interstate 15, the main highway from Salt Lake to Las Vegas, passes through the towns of Nephi, Fillmore, Beaver, Parowan, and Cedar City and the best farming country in the region along the base of the mountain ranges at the eastern edge of these counties. About 20 miles further west, the Union Pacific Railroad corridor passes through the towns of Delta and Milford and several small villages of population less than 50 as it roughly demarcates the farming country to the east from the desert valleys being considered as MX missile sites further west. The 100-mile wide strip between the Union Pacific Corridor and the Nevada border is extremely sparsely inhabited with the largest single community begin the 60 people who live at Garrison. Generally, nature provides more water on the basin margins along the eastern sides of these five counties. However, because the water is more readily available and easier to develop there, almost all available supplies are fully appropriated and new users can only obtain water by purchasing prior rights. Further west, surface water (and therefore early development) has been very limited, and significant amounts of groundwater remain upappropriated. Much would have to be pumped from deeper aquifers. The specific communities assigned for analysis of their water supply and wastewater treatment systems in this study are Delta, Milford and Cedar City plus an overview of impact upon the water supply situation in the smaller communities of Hinckley, Deseret, Oasis (all a few miles southwest of Delta) and Garrison, near the Utah-Nevada border. The locations of these cities and villages in relation to the potential MX storage sites are shown in Figure 1. The report begins by presenting the pertinent hydrologic information, particularly groundwater hydrology, for areas immediately adjacent to the communities of interest. The hydrology of the other valleys where the MX sites are contemplated is not within the scope of this report. The second major section of the report is a description of the existing municipal water systems for these seven communities, their current water requirements, their capacity without any expansion, and, finally, and assessment of the expansion in water rights and various components of each system which would be required to serve an assumed MX related growth scenario in each region. The final section is a similar analysis of existing wasteawter collection and treatment facilities and of how they would be affected by the growth scenarios. In addition to possible MX related growth, the Delta area is also facing probable construction of a very large coal-fired power generating complex known as the Intermountain Power Project (IPP). The water and wastewater demand projections are based upon the assumed normal growth "without MX" (including the proposed Intermountain Power Project (IPP) impact in the Delta area) plus MX related growth. The MX-related population gorwth projected for Utah amounts to a population increase of 30,000 (employees, dependents and indirect) by 1987 at the peak of MX consturction. The population increase would assume to be distributed by community as follows:

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