DDW-2025-010228

DDW Reports <[e-mail]>
Fwd: [Ext:] Cove Fort Historic Site - Site Visit 9-17-25
Sitara Federico <[e-mail]>Mon, Sep 22, 2025 at 12:28 PM
To: DDW Reports <[e-mail]>
Please save this in Level 2 Assessments in EQDocs. A schedule will be added next month, where this email will count for the Level 2 Assessment requirement.
We can hold onto this until mid-October.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John Chartier <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Subject: Re: [Ext:] Cove Fort Historic Site - Site Visit 9-17-25
To: Drew Corry <[e-mail]>
Cc: Sitara Federico <[e-mail]>, Marie Elizabeth Owens <[e-mail]>, Ryan Dearing <[e-mail]>, Eric Larsen
<[e-mail]>, Mark Berger <[e-mail]>
Drew,
Thank you for catching that, not sure how I typed January instead of July. I am checking on the samples that were taken
yesterday, if they start showing positive for total coliform, I'll let you know so you can get started with disinfecting the system.

John L. Chartier, P.E.
Central District Engineer| DEQ
M: [phone]
P: [phone] ext. 314
70 Westview Drive Richfield, UT 84701
deq.utah.gov
Emails to and from this email address may be considered public records and thus subject to Utah GRAMA
requirements.
On Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 7:56 AM Drew Corry <[e-mail]> wrote:
John,

Thank you for your visit yesterday and your assistance with our system.

One thing for clarification on your notes below….The VFD went out on the July 31st and not January 31st.

Thanks again,

Drew Corry
Regional Manager, Historic Site Facilities
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Phone: [phone]
[e-mail]

From: John Chartier <[e-mail]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 3:34 PM
To: Sitara Federico <[e-mail]>
Cc: Marie Elizabeth Owens <[e-mail]>; Drew Corry <[e-mail]>; Ryan Dearing
<[e-mail]>; Eric Larsen <[e-mail]>; Mark Berger <[e-mail]>
Subject: [Ext:] Cove Fort Historic Site - Site Visit 9-17-25

[External Email]
Sitara,
I met with Drew Corry and the on-site staff that manage the Cove Fort Historic Site, which
includes operating the water system.
We reviewed the past couple months of taking water samples and a couple events that happened
that affected the water system.
On January 31st, it was discovered that the main well that supplies this system quit working.
The variable frequency drive for the well needed to be replaced, and it was replaced on
August 1st.
During this time, the water level in the tank was monitored through their SCADA system
and the water operator has a record of the low tank levels. The tank was drawn down to
only having 2.5 feet of water, but it was never completely drained. No part of the water
system was depressurized during this event.
After the well was repaired and the tank was in the process of filling back up, the fire
department pulled water from their hydrants to help fight a fire, but again, the tank was not
completely drained.
Cove Fort did have a TC+ sample in July and August, but repeat samples taken in both
months were clean. The system was not disinfected between having the bad sample and
taking the repeat samples.
Approximately 1 week before taking the routine samples in September, the water system
operator had flushed some fire hydrants and then had a leak in the system that needed to be
repaired. The standard practice of flushing the line after completing the repair was done.
Reviewing this history with them didn't necessarily give us an obvious answer to the bad
samples, but they may have resulted from the line break and repair that happened the week
prior.

We inspected their active well, well house and piping, and the storage tank as part of my site
visit. We checked combination air/vacuum valves along the well supply pipeline also. Nothing
obvious was found during those inspections either. Recommendations were made for securing
their well head cover properly and to check the combination air/vacuum valve near the tank (we
lacked the necessary tools to open that airvac vault on our site visit).

We also visited the UDOT maintenance station that has a connection to the Cove Fort water
system. This maintenance station has a backflow device on the main water line serving their
building and another backflow device in the interior of the building where they wash their
equipment. The station manager said they have not tested those backflow devices for many
years, but they have arranged to have them tested tomorrow. I did not see any obvious routes for
backflow or cross connection coming from the UDOT building.

The irrigation system at Cove Fort does have the proper backflow devices and they have been
testing those devices (Marie supplied copies of those tests).

I did review proper bacteriological sampling procedures with the water system operator, and for
the most part, they have been following those basic procedures. Some sampling locations do
have swivel type faucets, so those will not be used for future sampling.

I collected another round of bacteriologic samples today, and those sample locations included
the following:
The Bigler Well (WS002)
The UDOT Building
President Williams' Kitchen
Men's Restroom
Site Meetinghouse

If these bacteriologic samples are clean, then they will collect another round of samples
tomorrow. If any of these samples are total coliform or E. coli positive, then they will disinfect
their storage tank and flush out all of the distribution lines with chlorinated water. If the storage
tank and distribution system are disinfected, it will likely take most of the weekend to flush the
chlorinated water out, so new bacteriological samples will be taken on Monday (assuming
chlorine residuals are zero). Meaning, the boil order will stay in effect through the weekend and
into next week.

Let me know if you have questions on our inspection today or recommendations moving
forward.
Thanks
John

John L. Chartier, P.E.
Central District Engineer| DEQ
M: [phone]
P: [phone] ext. 314
70 Westview Drive Richfield, UT 84701
deq.utah.gov
Emails to and from this email address may be considered public records and thus subject to Utah
GRAMA requirements.

--
Sitara Federico
Environmental Scientist | Division of Drinking Water
M: [phone]
drinkingwater.utah.gov
[phone]
Emails to and from this email address may be considered public records and thus subject to Utah GRAMA
requirements.