Oakley places hold on new construction due to water worries

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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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.

OAKLEY, Summit County — The town of Oakley, which is home to about 1,700 people, has enacted a moratorium on new construction until more water is available.

Dallas Hansen, the town's water operator, said he recommended the move to the city council months ago. "It was really tough," he said.

But the council agreed, saying, "We could see the writing on the wall and we wanted to make sure we were a little ahead of it."

Hansen said it was time to figure out what to do to ensure the current residents of the town had what they needed after a dry 2020 summer, followed by this winter's light snowpack and spring with very little moisture.

That includes everything from drinking water to fighting a fire if that happens.

The council took some heat for the decision, but Hansen said residents were on board to temporarily stop building in Oakley, once they heard the explanation.

And help could be on the way. The city will start drilling a well in November. It should be completed by January or February 2022.

If everything goes as planned, the well could be the answer to the town's water problems for the foreseeable future.

The well is expected to generate 1,500 to 2,000 gallons of water per minute from water 2,000 feet below ground. That's water that won't dry up from a year or two of drought. In fact, that would solve the water issues for the next 20 years in the town.

Dallas Hansen, Oakley's water operator, says he recommended a moratorium on new construction until more water is available months ago, in Oakley, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (Photo: Jay Hancock, KSL-TV)

But it won't come cheap — the project will cost between $2 million and $2.5 million, which the city will pay for with bonds and loans.

"We know it's terrible not to let people build, but also the bottom line is we have to make sure there's water for the existing people in town," Hansen said. He said 35 permits that are pending will likely move forward at some point, likely next summer.

The moratorium is set to expire in November but could be extended for another six months.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah

Debbie Worthen

Debbie Worthen brings nearly two decades of award-winning journalism experience to the KSL Newsroom and is thrilled be working for Utah’s legacy news organization. She anchors KSL 5 News at 4 and Live at 5 with Mike Headrick and reports for KSL 5 News at 10pm. There are countless things Debbie enjoys about working in local news, but storytelling is at the top of the list. Whether it’s meeting the remarkable people of Utah as they do amazing things, informing viewers of critical breaking news and issues that impact their communities or reporting on daily assignments like weather and traffic, Debbie is honored to be the one trusted to tell Utahn’s stories. She believes journalistic integrity and a commitment to accuracy have never been more important than they are now. Debbie started her career as a writer, producer and traffic reporter while finishing her communications degree at The University of Utah before making the jump to a full-time on-air position. (Although you could say she caught the news “bug” at KOLT-News at Cottonwood High School.) After several moves across the country, Debbie and her husband, Brandon Gilbert, moved to Utah to start their family. They love everything Utah has to offer and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Outside the office, Debbie and her family are advocates for at-risk youth and have fostered several children through Utah Foster Care. As a family they enjoy movie nights in the basement, trying new recipes and, a few times a year, traveling to exotic locations!