APPLE VALLEY, Utah — Apple Valley residents received an urgent warning to conserve water after the town's wells and aquifer had hit critical levels due to draining allegedly caused by a land owner who dug a deeper well and ran pivots.
The unidentified landowner recently dug their well 50 feet deeper.
"After three days of working on the wells and the aquifer, we have come up with some bad news," said Mayor Mike Farrar. "At this time, we feel that this has started draining the aquifer and is causing major problems for our water system."
Attorneys, engineers, state officials and the Washington County Conservancy are working to address and resolve the situation.
Residents are told to conserve water until further notice, which includes no watering of landscapes, trees, or washing cars. In addition, external water usage is supposed to be for livestock and animals only.
The town held a meeting Thursday evening to answer questions and go into additional detail about what happened.
For Farrar, sleep has been very difficult to come by since the well issues began. But water issues have never really gone away for as long as residents, like Colten Winder, can remember.
“They say in the west, whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting. It’s a little backwards from the rest of the country," said Winder.
Winder and his family were among dozens who packed the town hall as the mayor addressed the latest situation.
“First off, let me tell you, do not worry. We are not running out of water, okay?” said Farrar.
The current plan is to use a high-pressure hose on Monday to clear debris from the well.
“...it will literally blow some of the sections of dirt off the edge of the well," Farrar explained. "It should free up those clogged up cavities, and more water should start flowing into the well, so when we turn on the level doesn’t drop, it refreshes, and we get more water."
Some residents who have lived in the area for decades agree with the mayor, including a former firefighter and someone who worked on wells himself, White Eagle.
“We camera’d them, sent a camera down there, and we could see the silt that was coming through and filling up and filling up, and you gotta blow it," explained Eagle.
It is not the first time Apple Valley has had issues with its water supply. In 2023, the town issued a Boil Water Advisory for homes when officials learned that a water tank in Cedar Point was empty. An investigation later found that the tank's water float had been stuck reading an incorrect level.
In 2024, the state of Utah declared a water emergency in Apple Valley after Cedar Point water was tested to have two to three times the permitted amount of radium, which is known to cause cancer.
Last year, the town celebrated the opening of a 5.5-mile water pipeline that was meant to bring water into the community.
On Thursday, Farrar added that there is also a plan to dig an additional well to complement the one they hope will be back in working order next week.
Jarry Zaharis said things like not washing his vehicle or taking a shorter shower are a small price to pay while crews try to get things back on track regarding the new issue.
“Well, it’s something we have no control over, and we have to make the best of it," said Zaharis, "and do what we have to do to overcome it."
