Residents Pay Some of the Lowest Rates for Water in the State Tooele City Residents Paid 106Th Highest Rate in Utah for Water Last Year, According to Study
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Prep baseball season photo review See B1 TOOELETRANSCRIPT S T C BULLETIN S TUESDAY June 4, 2019 www.TooeleOnline.com Vol. 126 No. 1 $1.00 Residents pay some of the lowest rates for water in the state Tooele City residents paid 106th highest rate in Utah for water last year, according to study STEVE HOWE from the Governor’s Office STAFF WRITER of Management and Budget, Tooele County residents was the Stansbury Park paid among the lowest rates Improvement District. SPID for water last year, according charges a base rate of $17.55 to information compiled by the for 25,000 gallons on meters Gardner Policy Institute at the under an inch and a base rate University of Utah. of $28.35 for one-inch meters. Andrew Kemp cuts low branches from trees in Middle Canyon for fire mitigation project on Monday. At the beginning of 2018, It also charges 75 cents per Tooele City residents paid the 1,000 gallons from 25,001 to 106th highest rate for 30,000 50,000 gallons and $1.05 per gallons of residential water at 1,000 gallons over 50,001 gal- Crews getting ready for wildfires $37.50, while Grantsville City lons. residents paid the 113th high- While Tooele County resi- est rate ($31.10). The highest dents weren’t paying as much Wet spring doesn’t preclude chance of intense fire season rate in the state was Park City, as many other Utah residents at $347.68, followed by Cedar for water, prices are increasing PHOTOS FRANCIE AUFDEMORTE Hills at $172.76. around the state. Wendover residents were Last August, Grantsville City STEVE HOWE 31st highest around the state, approved its first water rate STAFF WRITER at $84.32 for 30,000 gallons. increase since 1996, which also Up Middle Canyon on Monday, Not included in the chart, established a tiered rate system several crews were using chainsaws which featured 119 municipal- where the rate increased with to trim low hanging branches and ities and improvement districts brush along the side of the road. and is based on information SEE RATES PAGE A10 ® The cut branches and other debris were stacked along the roadside, waiting for a wood chip- $350 per that slowly made its way up the canyon behind the workers. Residential water bill for The crew, the Twin Peaks Type 2 $300 Initial Attack, consists of four fire 30,000 gallons of water technicians, 17 seasonal wildland firefighters, and is sponsored by $250 the state Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. $200 The point of the operation is to create a shaded fuel break, accord- ing to Tooele County Fire Warden $150 Daniel Walton. “The idea there is not to just clear out the entire area along the $100 road, but to create a buffer zone,” Walton said. “So should fire come down one side of the canyon, it $50 gives us a place to stop it and slow the fire down and try and prevent it 0 Victor Bohnen cuts low tree branches while Parker Judd clears them Park Cedar American Wendover Salt Lake Tooele Stansbury Grantsville SEE WILDFIRES PAGE A10 ® away during a fire mitigation project in Middle Canyon on Monday. City Hills Fork City Park May was wet in Tooele, but not the wettest May ever TIM GILLIE Tooele Valley-Vernon Creek is zero. EDITOR SNOTEL, or snow telemetry, are remote May was wetter than normal in Tooele, battery powered sites across western but is was not the wettest May on record. mountains that automatically measure and The National Weather Service reported transmit information about snow depth, that Tooele City received 3.26 inches of water content, rainfall, and air temperature. total precipitation for May compared to the They are managed by the USDA’s National normal 2.43 inches, or 34% more precipita- Resources and Conservation Service. tion than normal. The Mining Fork SNOTEL site at 8,295 Tooele City has received more than 3.26 feet in South Willow Fork of the Stansbury inches of precipitation during May in four Mountains, and the Vernon Creek SNOTEL other years since 2000, with 7.53 inches in site at 7,401 feet, both report no snow as of May 2005 being the wettest May in Tooele June 3. City on record in the last 20 years. But the Rocky Basin-Settlement Canyon Not only was there more precipitation in SNOTEL site at 8,704 feet reported 25.8 Tooele than normal in May 2019, as of June inches of snow water equivalent as of May 3, 2019, there was also more snow in the 31. higher elevations above Tooele Valley than Troy Brosten, hydrologist with the normal. National Resource Conservation Service The median snow water equivalent for COURTESY OF KATHLEEN VONHATTEN SEE MAY PAGE A10 ® June 3 at the three SNOTEL sites in the A rainbow arcs over Church Road in Lake Point on Wednesday, May 29. INSIDE BULLETIN BOARD B4 CLASSIFIEDS B5 Carver Louis DEQ begins Grantsville ties HOMETOWN B1 kicks off 3-day summer Hunter 4-4 OBITUARIES A6 Fridays on Vine air quality See A8 OPEN FORUM A4 See A3 forecast SPORTS A8 See A2 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT BULLETIN TUESDAY June 4, 2019 SALT CITY DRIFT Thousands of fans flock to (right) the Import Spring Showoff car show hosted by Utah Motorsports Campus Saturday. Christian and Jonathan Robles (below) are next for their ride-along with the Salt City Drift at the Utah Motorsports Campus Saturday afternoon. D-Spare Garage (below bottom and left) offered drift ride-alongs to approx- imately 400 fans. SUE BUTTERFIELD/TTB PHOTOS Utah provides ways to check on summer air quality forecasts Emissions, sun and high temperatures increase health risks TIM GILLIE air quality forecasting to plan forecasts on its Twitter feed, EDITOR ahead and protect health. @utahdeq. Follow the DEQ If you’re planning a sum- Ozone is a prime culprit in Twitter posts by using the mer outdoor activity, the Utah reduced air quality during the hashtag #UtahAQUpdate. Division of Air Quality offers summertime, according to the The DAQ’s air quality alert several ways to check local DAQ. system consists of two parts: “Ozone is most notable dur- action alerts and health guid- ing the summer when emis- ance. sions from vehicles and other There are three levels of TOOELE TRANSCRIPT sources are combined with action alerts. BULLETIN sunlight and heat,” according Unrestricted action: to the DAQ. Indicated by a circle, means ADMINISTRATION Hot temperatures mixed there are no restrictions, but Scott C. Dunn Publisher with vehicle and industrial individuals are encouraged Joel J. Dunn Publisher Emeritus emissions increase ozone and to limit emissions and choose OFFICE can pose health risks. cleaner transportation options. Bruce Dunn Controller Ground-level ozone, some- Voluntary action: Indicated Chris Evans Office Manager times referred to as smog, can by an inverted triangle, means TTB FILE PHOTO Vicki Higgins Customer Service lead to shortness of breath, individuals are asked to volun- Jessica Boman Circulation Manager A hazy view of Stansbury Island in August 2015. Ozone is responsible for summer haze, or smog, according to chest pains and lung inflam- tarily follow TravelWise sug- the Department of Environmental Quality. EDITORIAL mation. The highest ground gestions and consolidate trips Tim Gillie Editor level ozone concentrations and choose cleaner transporta- pound products like paints and tion poses little or no risk. No prolonged or heavy outdoor David Bern Editor-at-Large usually occur between noon tion options. Volatile organic solvents. restrictions on activity based exertion and everyone else Darren Vaughan Sports Editor and 8 p.m., May through compound emissions that com- TravelWise suggestions on air quality are suggested. should limit prolonged out- Francie Aufdemorte Photo Editor September, according to the monly come from paints and include carpooling or van- Yellow is for “moderate” air door exertion. Steve Howe Staff Writer DAQ. solvents should be limited. pooling, using public trans- quality. At this level highly- The color purple indicates Mark Watson Correspondent The DAQ provides not only Mandatory action: portation, combining trips or sensitive people should con- “very unhealthy” air quality. ADVERTISING current air quality reporting, it Indicated by an X, means skipping unnecessary trips, sider reducing prolonged or At this level people in sensitive Clayton Dunn Advertising Manager also offers air quality forecast- employers are to activate using active transportation — heavy outdoor exertion. groups should reduce pro- Keith Bird Advertising Sales ing during summer through its mandatory trip reduction like walking or bicycling, and Orange denotes “unhealthy longed or heavy outdoor exer- Dianna Bergen Advertising Sales & UtahAir app. The app is a free programs. Individuals should when possible take advantage for sensitive groups.” At the tion and everyone else should Classified Advertising Manager download at both Apple and use TravelWise suggestions by of teleworking or alternative orange level people with lung limit outdoor exertion. LAYOUT & DESIGN Android apps stores. Air qual- consolidating trips and choose work schedules. disease, such as asthma; chil- The worst air quality is the John Hamilton Creative Director ity forecasting is also avail- cleaner transportation options. Detailed TravelWise advice dren and older adults; and maroon level, which means Liz Arellano Graphic Artist able at the DAQ’s website at The use of gas-powered mow- can be found at travelwise. people who are active out- “hazardous.” The maroon level PRODUCTION airquality.utah.gov and regular ers, particularly during the utah.gov. doors should reduce prolonged triggers health warnings of Perry Dunn Pre-press Manager email updates from deq.utah. hottest part of the day, should Health guidance divides air or heavy outdoor exertion.