By Cassie Goff | [email protected]

The water systems within Cottonwood Heights are managed and cleaned in coordination with Salt Lake County. The water is cleaned of pollutants regularly under the Utah Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. 

On June 16, the Cottonwood Heights City Council unanimously passed Resolution 2020-28 – Approving Entry into an Interlocal Agreement with Salt Lake County for participation as co-permitees under UPDES permit no. UTS00001. 

The agreement set by this resolution will expire after 5 years, on Feb. 25, 2025. 

In 1972, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act or CWA) was established to regulate pollutants in waters throughout the United States. Locally, the Utah Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (UPDES) program emerged from that program and is managed by the Division of Water Quality in the Department of Environmental Quality. 

“UPDES is a subsection of the national system,” said Cottonwood Heights Public Works Director Matt Shipp. All of the cities within Salt Lake County have interlocal agreements to clean water as part of the Jordan Valley Municipalities permitting under UPDES. 

Under the UPDES permitting system, all the municipalities that share a geographic area for storm sewer systems are considered co-applicants under permit renewals. 

Cottonwood Heights has been a part of this arrangement since the city’s inception in 2005. “We joined in to help us implement and take care of this program,” said Shipp. “We work together for information, legislation, projects, and public campaigns.”

“As a city, we are required to clean any water that comes out of our system and into any creeks or streams,” Shipp said. This includes any water that comes from industrial or construction run-off.

Cottonwood Heights pays $5,000 annually as part of this interlocal agreement with Salt Lake County and Jordan Valley Municipalities.