MILLCREEK, Utah — The artesian well site where a fire sparked last month, burning two dozen apartments in Millcreek, has brought attention to the location, with many wondering why it's there and who's responsible for its maintenance.
Since the July 25 fire, the area operated by Salt Lake City Public Utilities has been under scrutiny after tall weeds on the property are believed to have been a part of what fueled the fire, displacing dozens of people.
Before the devastating fire, complaints from residents led Millcreek officials to send a courtesy notice to Salt Lake City in hopes of bringing the overgrown weeds into code. Unified Fire believes a rock thrown from mowing equipment tending to those weeds sparked the blaze that caused so much damage.
Sites such as the Millcreek location serve more than 400,000 people with 1,300 miles of pipe and three water treatment plants owned and operated by Salt Lake City.
Raw drone video below shows devastation of Millcreek fire:
"We deliver water from the mouth of Cottonwood Canyon across the east bench to Salt Lake City proper and all the way out to the new prison site," explained Jesse Stewart, Deputy Director of Salt Lake City Public Utilities, during an exclusive tour of sites Monday.
The system is fed by 26 wells, and many are tended by technicians almost daily due to the sites being critical infrastructure for the city. There are other properties the city manages that don’t need that type of attention.
"We have a lot of variety in the types of properties we have, the type of infrastructure we have, the size of properties," added Stewart.
From maintenance yards to water treatment plants, or up in City Creek Canyon, where there are dozens of acres in the watershed management area and nature preserve, to the lots up above the state capitol that hold the utility's water tanks.
Some properties are more manicured, while others are not for a reason.
"Our detention basins are more natural," said Stewart. "They’re not planted, they’re not watered. But they are watered and mowed."
'All gone... it's a lot;' Families left to pick up pieces after homes destroyed in Millcreek fire:
Not all the sites, such as the one where the fire began in Millcreek, are located in Salt Lake City proper. Some are located throughout Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, South Salt Lake, Midvale, and Murray.
Overall, more than 200 sites are managed by the agency, some in conjunction with public lands, such as the 11th Ave Park that also serves as an emergency stormwater retention basin and is mowed periodically.
Another example is a site in Federal Heights.
"This is where we can retain water if we get a large-scale storm. We can retain this water and then let it down in a more released manner through the rest of the city," said Stewart.
Millcreek community rallies together after fire, and how you can help:
Most of the sites are restricted areas with no trespassing allowed. However, during our tour, we saw someone simply go through a gate at one site without thinking twice.
During their tour of sites, public utilities officials found no issues.
