Sept. 26, 1999
A water war between Tooele City and the tiny town of Vernon has been averted.
The bigger city decided to back off from plans to aquire water rights near Vernon.
But if Tooele doesn't find more water soon, there could be a crisis.
Environment Specialist John Hollenhorst reports.
Here in the Salt Lake Valley, growth is an old issue. But it's relatively new in the next valley to the west. The explosive growth in Tooele is what started this David and Goliath story.
If growing Tooele is Goliath, and rustic Vernon is David, then David won the first skirmish in the water war without even loading a slingshot.
Tooele backed off it's plan to buy a water-rich farm just outside Vernon. They decided to retreat and develop a long-term strategy before launching a war.
Charlie Roberts/Mayor of Tooele: "I mean we could do that somewhere down the time, but the council felt this was not the time to do that."
The fact that Tooele would even think about looking 35 miles away for water shows just how serious the thirst is. About 1,000 homes a year are being built in Tooele. Eight-thousand more are at least tentatively approved, which would more than double the city's size.
But there's one big problem: the city approved the subdivisions, even though it only has water rights to supply about half the new homes.
Charlie Roberts/Mayor of Tooele: "If we continue at the current rate, we'd be running out of water in 3 to 5 years."
So they're looking for water anywhere they can buy it. In the Oquirrh Mountains, throughout the Tooele Valley, and maybe south in Vernon's Rush Valley.
If the building boom continues, and the situation gets desperate enough, the mayor of Tooele says the city could always condemn water rights. That essentially means seize the water and pay someone a fair price. At the moment that's one option the city is not seriously considering.
Some Tooele residents aren't sure they like their city's new trend.
AnnaMaria Weyland/Tooele resident: "I've seen it grow quite a bit, and I personally don't care for the change."
Jon Elton/Tooele Resident: "Like, I wish they could limit growth a little bit more. Like, I just don't like all the growth now."
Charlie Roberts/Mayor of Tooele: "We've approved these subdivisions. We need to deliver." Hollenhorst: "Would you get sued if you didn't?" Roberts: "Huh. I would imagine."
Tooele officials aren't permanently ruling out the Vernon area as a source of water. They're just backing off to re-think it. Don't be surprised if Goliath makes a comeback.
