DERR-2024-007832

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 2, 2006
Media Contact: Cindy Gubler [phone]

Utah’s First Municipal Reverse Osmosis Plant Readies For Operation
Bringing A New Source Of Water To The Southwest Valley

After years of effort, Utah’s first municipal reverse osmosis facility, the Bingham Canyon Water
Treatment Plant, which is the first phase of the Southwest Jordan Valley Groundwater Project, is
in its final stages of testing for operation.

“We are very pleased that we will soon be able to begin delivering high quality drinking water to
some of the fastest growing cities along the Wasatch Front,” says Jordan Valley Water
Conservancy District’s General Manager Dave Ovard. “This is a monumental milestone for the
District and for the residents of Utah.”

Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District (JVWCD) has been cooperatively working with
Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation (KUCC), the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and define the Southwest Jordan Valley
Groundwater Project, which captures deep underground waters impacted by mining and other
activities, purifies the water and delivers it to the communities in the southwestern Salt Lake
Valley.

The Bingham Canyon Water Treatment Plant, which is the first of two reverse osmosis treatment
facilities that are part of the Southwest Jordan Valley Groundwater Project, was constructed and
will be operated by KUCC. The water treated at the plant will then be delivered to JVWCD, which
will conduct a series of tests to ensure it meets all federal and state regulations, and then the
District will pump, convey, store and deliver the water to the cities of West Jordan, South Jordan,
Riverton and Herriman beginning in April 2006.

In a state that only receives 13 inches of precipitation each year on average, the 3,500 acre-feet
of water that will be provided by the Bingham County Water Treatment Plant is a much-needed
water supply. It is enough water to supply approximately 4,300 homes.

“After years of work, we are proud to begin operations at the Bingham Canyon Water Treatment
Plant, which is the first of its kind reverse osmosis plant in the state,” says KUCC XXXX XXXX.
“The water produced by the plant will be of very high quality.”

Reverse osmosis is a pressure driven process, where pressure is used to push water through a
membrane, leaving salts behind. It is a proven treatment technology that meets the
requirements of all federal and state drinking water standards.

—more—

Reverse Osmosis Plant Opens Cont. Page 2 of 2

Although the Bingham Canyon Water Treatment Plant and the Southwest Groundwater
Treatment Plant that JVWCD is planning to have operational by the Spring of 2009, are the first
of their kind in the state of Utah, nationwide there are more than 300 of these plants that
produce more than 1 billion gallons of water per day for drinking water use.

The water obtained through the Bingham Canyon Water Treatment Plant will be rigorously tested
by KUCC before it leaves the plant. Once the water is delivered to JVWCD, the District will again
conduct a series of tests to ensure it meets all federal and state regulations for drinking water
and aesthetics. These test results will be reported to DEQ and then the water will be blended
with the District’s other water sources.

In addition to the two treatment plants that together will deliver 8,235 acre-feet of water per
year, the Southwest Jordan Valley Groundwater Project includes 7 deep exploratory wells, 4
shallow production wells, and 7 deep production wells; more than 30 miles of pipeline; and 4
booster pumping stations.

"This is an important benefit for the community and the environment," says DEQ Executive
Director Dianne Nielson. "I am pleased that the public will begin to receive quality drinking water
from this project."

The water from this project will be sold by JVWCD to the four cities at a discounted wholesale
price of about 15 percent to reflect the funding for the project provided by KUCC. KUCC paid $37
million to a natural resource damage trust fund in 1995. Since that time, the trust fund has
grown to more than $62 million. JVWCD has assumed only those costs related to normal water
development and treatment, which is projected to be $5 to $10 million in capital costs.

# # #