Jordan Valley outlines $30M Southwest Aqueduct work in Riverton, notifies council of Aug. 11 tax hearing

Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District staff and trustees briefed the Riverton City Council on July 22 about the Southwest Aqueduct, a roughly two‑mile, 66‑inch welded‑steel transmission pipe that will be built mainly along 3200 West to add capacity and redundancy to the valley’s aqueduct network.

District representatives said Condie Construction won the competitive contract and that the project is a two‑year construction program with staged trenching and traffic control intended to preserve one lane of traffic during work. The district described an August–September start for field construction, and officials said a manufactured, welded‑steel pipe supply chain requires several months of lead time for materials.

Jordan Valley staff said the line will be about 5½ feet in diameter (66 inches) with roughly that depth to the top of pipe below the surface. The district noted that part of the alignment will be within front yards or backyards of roughly eighteen properties north of 12600 South where the district holds long‑standing easements purchased in the 1990s; the district said it will compensate owners for improvements in the easement and will coordinate private‑property impacts.

The district representative told the council the project will require temporary traffic impacts and at least one full intersection closure: the intersection of 3200 West and 11800 South will be closed for the tie‑in to the existing aqueduct when that work occurs. Staff said they will coordinate timing, advanced messaging (VMS boards and door‑to‑door notices), and a dedicated project hotline, website and email address. The district also scheduled an open house for Aug. 20 at the Sandra Lloyd Community Center.

Trustee and council members discussed sequencing and local impacts. Council members asked whether contractor staging and pipe delivery would allow continuous work once trenches are opened; district staff said pipe deliveries and staging will be coordinated to avoid lengthy work interruptions and that the contractor will stage large pieces at district‑owned property and other permitted yards.

District staff additionally announced a proposed property‑tax increase (just over 11%, roughly $3 million additional revenue on a $111 million budget) to help fund an anticipated $180 million bond program over the next five years that includes the Jordan Valley treatment‑plant expansion and other capital projects. The district gave the council the Truth‑in‑Taxation hearing date: Aug. 11; staff urged public participation and said trustees and staff are available to answer questions about the proposal.

Council members pressed Jordan Valley staff on alternatives, reuse and conservation; trustees and staff said the district has adopted a water‑budget policy in the last 18 months requiring new development to either bring water shares or pay for new water and that reuse projects are constrained by state rules and Great Salt Lake considerations.

District officials said the construction contract includes a full‑time public‑information manager for resident outreach and that the district will repave affected streets edge‑to‑edge after construction is complete.