ST. GEORGE — A project to connect a new source of water to a well system supplying water to communities in eastern Washington County is currently underway near Quail Creek State Park and claiming a large segment of road while at it.
Work began at the end of December 2023 to install a nearly 5-mile long, 24-inch wide pipeline connecting the Quail Creek Water Treatment Plant to the Cottam Wells water system near Exit 27 (Toquerville) off Interstate 15.
Overseen by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, the project is taking place along the southbound lane of 5300 West, which sits on the western side of Quail Creek reservoir and connects state Route 9 to the community of Harrisburg. This has resulted in large portions of the southbound lane being closed to traffic and single-lane travel directed by temporary traffic signals.
Currently, work is focused on the stretch of road south of the entry into Quail Creek State Park.
“The portion … under construction that is the highest priority (is that) section because it’s the access to the state park,” project manager Randy Johnson said.
Work on the southern portion of the 5300 West is estimated to conclude by June with both lanes reopening between SR-9 and the state park’s entry. Johnson said the water district had hoped to finish that part of the project by the beginning of April, but complications pushed the work back by about six weeks.
Despite the delay, work is being done to finish the project on the southern part of the road as soon as possible to avoid impacts on recreation.
“We’re going as fast as we can to minimize those impacts to the public,” Johnson said.
As for the part of 5300 West north of the park’s entry, northbound traffic can reach Harrisburg while southbound access is closed off. Overall access to 5300 West between the park entry and Harrisburg will be blocked between June and the beginning of December when the project is estimated to wrap up.
During this time, Harrisburg residents and visitors will have to access SR-9 or I-15 through Old Dixie Highway 91 with the I-15 exit in Leeds to the north or the intersection of Old Dixie Highway 91 and SR-9 to the south.
Implementing traffic control measures has proven to be one of the more complex parts of the project, Johnson said, as whenever a change needs to be made to the project’s traffic control setup, the Utah Department of Transportation needs to approve it first.
Other complications have included the need to coordinate with different property owners along the pipeline’s route. This includes land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, UDOT and Hurricane City. Each entity has its own rules and regulations regarding road and infrastructure work within their respective jurisdictions.
“Sometimes a large project, if it’s on our property, or at least a single owner’s property, can be less complex than a pipeline that goes through numerous property owner’s (land),” Johnson said.
As for why the pipeline is being built, the purpose is twofold: to add a new source of water for the eastern part of the county while also adding redundancy to the water system in that area.
The additional water from Quail Creek will be pumped from the treatment plant to the Cottam Well system that supplies water to the communities of Toquerville, LaVerkin, Hurricane and Virgin. The additional water will also be applied to new developments anticipated to sprout up along the incoming Toquerville bypass.
The pipeline will not tie into the new reservoir being built near Toquerville as that will be a part of the county’s overall reuse (recycled) regional water system, which will use irrigation-quality water. The water coming from Quail Creek via the new pipeline will be culinary, or drinking-quality water.
The project’s original cost was estimated to be around $12 million.
Photo Gallery
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Work being done alongside the southbound lane of 5300 West by Quail Creek reservoir is for a pipeline being installed by the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Hurricane, Utah, March 14, 2024 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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