History - Salt Lake City Water Department (Public Utilities) Organization 1912 - 2007

Originally printed in “The Pipeline” newsletter October 2006 issue

February 25, 2008

Salt Lake City has been organized under three different forms of government since the corporation was established in 1851. The Department of Water Works was established by City Ordinance on June 30, 1876.

The City’s original charter provided for a City Council form of government. The Mayor and City Council conducted both the administrative and legislative duties of municipal government. The Council had standing committees to which the council referred petitions and general matters for recommendations. A municipal Water Master was appointed to distribute the irrigation water within the City.

In 1871, the City Council formed a Committee of Water Works to develop plans to construct a piped water system from City Creek. Councilman Theodore McKean chaired the committee and was made Superintendent of Water Works. On July 15,1875, Thomas W. Ellerbeck offered his services to supervise the laying of the water pipes and was appointed Superintendent. He resigned from the position on June 22, 1877. Documents show that the Mayor became the Superintendent of Water Works for some period of time. Based on City Annual Reports and Engineering Reports, it’s not clear until 1912 how the Water Department was organized and managed. However, the City Engineer played a prominent role in water development and construction of large projects after 1892, when the position of City Engineer was established within City government. City Engineer Reports of the early 1900s showed a small number of employees assigned to the Department of Water Works, indicating that the day-to-day business, operation and maintenance of the water system was under the direction of a superintendent. The Sewer and Drainage divisions were under the direction of the City Engineer.

In 1912 the City changed to a Commission form of government. A board of five elected commissioners(four commissioners and the mayor) performed both the executive and legislative duties of the elected officers of the city.

The organization of city duties was distributed among five departments: Department of Public Safety; Department of Public Affairs and Finance; Department of Water Supply and Water Works; and Department of Parks and Public Property. Each Commissioner, including the Mayor was assigned one of the five departments.

In 1980, city government adopted the Mayor—City Council form of government. Under this form of government there were distinct lines drawn between the administrative and legislative duties of the mayor and city council.

The lineage of superintendents (now directors) of the Department of Public Utilities is as follows:

Chas E. Barrett (1912 — 1918) was the first appointed Water Supply and Waterworks Superintendent under the Commission form of government. At that time, the Department of Water Works was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the waterworks system, including the business functions such as assessments and collections. Large-scale construction projects such as dams, distribution reservoirs, and large diameter supply mains, were under the direction of the City Engineer. Both the City Engineer and Water Works Superintendents were responsible for constructing distribution system watermain extensions to meet the water demand of a growing city. Mt. Dell Reservoir was constructed in Parley’s canyon and Lake Mary and Twin Lakes dams were constructed in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Bond elections were used to finance large water system improvements. Mr. Barrett promoted the necessity of metering all water.

Sylvester Q. Cannon (1919) held the position of Department of Water Supply and Waterworks Superintendent concurrent with being the City Engineer for one year. The joint responsibility was a result of financial problems that plagued the Department and required drastic reductions in the workforce and programs. The number of Department employees was reduced 20 percent and the general improvements work to the system was curtailed during the year. The financial disaster was caused by the City losing a construction lawsuit and paying the claim and providing free water for WWI Victory Gardens.

H.K. Burton (1920 — 1947) began his career as an Assistant City Engineer assigned to the Department of Water Works. He was appointed Superintendent in 1920. During his administration, he was faced with great adversity: the Great Depression, the drought of the thirties that produced the Dust Bowl in mid-America and World War II. Emergency measures were taken to cope with the drought by drilling deep wells, construction of the Little Cottonwood Conduit and developing the Artesian Basin in the Murray area and conveying this new water supply to the City through the Third East pumping plant and pipeline. During the war, water works pipe and equipment were difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. The war effort took precedence over civil needs. In 1934 the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City was formed to participate in the Provo River Project and the construction of Deer Creek Dam & Reservoir.

Dow H. Young (1948 — 1952) served 27 years as the Assistant Superintendent and was appointed Superintendent in 1948. He passed away in office on July 21, 1952. During his administration, the post war growth boom began in the suburbs. Water quality began to be a major issue with the adoption in 1947 of new drinking water standards by the U.S. Public Health Service.

Charles W. Wilson (1952 — 1980) began his career with Salt Lake City at the age of 16 by assisting in the measurement of stream and irrigation canal flows. He was appointed Superintendent in 1952 and retired at the end of 1979 as the Director of the Department of Public Utilities. Under his leadership in 1967, the Water Department was made an Enterprise Fund. This allowed the Department to operate as a business with revenues from water rates and connection fees used to finance operations and capital improvements independent of the City’s General Fund. During Mr. Wilson’s administration water quality standards became more stringent with the passage of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act in 1972 and 1973 respectively. Watershed protection measures, covering distribution reservoirs and the construction of water treatment plants led to the City’s water system being fully certified by EPA in 1977.

LeRoy W. Hooton, Jr. (1980 - 2007) began his career in water treatment. He served 8 years as Assistant Superintendent and was appointed Director in 1980. During his administration the Department of Public Utilities became a three utility department consisting of the Water Supply & Waterworks, Sewer Collection and Reclamation and Stormwater divisions. In 1980 with the change to the Mayor-City Council form of government, the Department of Public Utilities became responsible for all aspects of the utility business. Revenue bonds replaced general obligation bonds to finance large capital improvement projects. In 1986, the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City signed a petition agreement with the Central Water Conservancy District for 20,000 acre-feet of water from the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project. Sandy City was annexed into the Metropolitan Water District in 1990. Little Dell Dam and Reservoir was completed in 1992.  With the addition of the wastewater and stormwater utilities in 1979 and 1991 respectively, all three utilities are equally important and reflect the organizational changes the City made to administer and finance these municipal services. History moving forward will reflect these important changes to the Department of Public Utilities.