Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
John Hollenhorst reportingFour men went bicycling today in the Uinta Mountains. And, we do mean IN the mountains. They went inside a mountain to make sure our water supply is safe.
With clunky old-fashioned bikes and bright yellow rain-suits, these guys give a whole new meaning to the term "mountain biking".
They start at Upper Stillwater Dam. It's all downhill from there as they plunge right inside the mountain.
Scott Verde, Central Utah Water Conservancy District: "I look forward to this all year. The few opportunities that we get to come in here, we take advantage of them."
It's the annual inspection of the Stillwater Tunnel. Eight miles long, eight feet wide. It normally carries huge amounts of water.
Bill Peatross, Central Utah Water Conservancy District: "Any kind of water pressure built up behind the lining of the tunnel could cause pressure and cause collapse."
They're looking for any signs the tunnel is changing shape or decaying.
Bill Peatross, Central Utah Water Conservancy District: "Any damaged concrete that might be falling off the sides of the lining of the tunnel."
The Stillwater Tunnel is under East Granddady Peak.
It's a small piece of the complex Central Utah Project which carries snowmelt from the Uinta mountains, to farms and cities on the Wasatch Front.
Thirty-nine miles of tunnels are inspected on bicycles, 26 miles on foot. Bicycling-wise, it's not too tough. Temperature in the low 50's, and a slope that's ever so gently downhill.
Before they go in, they padlock the controls at the dam, so no one can turn on the water. Even so, wet slippery concrete can be a challenge.
Scott Verde, Central Utah Water Conservancy District: "The wheels want to climb up the sides and once they do that you end up on your head and sliding down the pipe."
Bill Peatross, Central Utah Water Conservancy District: "It's kind of fun. But once you get going, though, an eight mile tunnel looks the same at the beginning as it does at the end."
The end is the toughest part, hauling out the bikes by rope.
During their biking trip today, the inspectors patched a minor defect, but discovered no significant problems.
