Tooele, Utah — Water in Tooele has been a sore spot for residents even though the city borders one of the largest lakes in the Western region. As the city has welcomed incoming residents over the past decade, the water supply has been an ongoing project for city planners. With much thought and planning, Tooele City has developed a progressive solution that is encapsulated in a golf course near Overlake.

Overlake residents will greatly benefit from the Tooele City Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Project. "We are very pleased with Tooele City’s water solution for Overlake and other residents of Tooele. By providing secondary water, the golf course project allows culinary water to be conserved," said Drew Hall, the creator of Overlake.

The Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Project water will sit in storage ponds surrounded by an 18-hole golf course. The water will then be filtered out and used for irrigation purposes for surrounding residents. Overlake Community homes will surround the golf course. Not only will the project allow residents to utilize secondary water, but the city benefits greatly by a multi-million dollar Federal grant.

Secondary water is any water that cannot be used for purposes inside the home such as bathing, cooking, drinking, etc. The secondary water will be used for watering lawns and the golf course which will allow residents to conserve culinary water and save money on their water bills. Because Tooele is on a high desert plateau, culinary water is an important resource to conserve.

"The project will provide wastewater collection, conveyance, treatment and reuse for the City of Tooele in their efforts to address the water supply needs of the area," says Rick Noll of Forsgren Associates. The State Engineer has placed a restriction on any new water rights and appropriations, so it is important to stretch the existing water supply. By providing secondary water to the residents of Tooele, the need for culinary water will be reduced.

Through gravity wastewater will be collected and conveyed to the treatment plant. The plant will provide secondary and advanced treatment prior to discharge to the Reuse Storage Lakes, which are storage facilities for the reuse water prior to its distribution for land application.

Secondary water is not available at this time. The water should be available two years after the Tooele treatment plant is operational, approximately March of 2001. The distribution pipes are already installed for each Overlake home sites.

It will be the Tooele resident’s decision whether or not to take advantage of the secondary water supply. The cost has not been finalized but will be based on the amount of use and will be ten percent less than culinary water. Initial connection fees will be in the range of $300 to $500.Overlake Community will work with the city of Tooele in helping homeowners hook up to the system with ease.

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