According to Mike Luers, general manager of the Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District (SBWRD) the district treats 4,000,00 gallons of wastewater per day; 5,000,000 gallons per day during peak season. In 2022 the two local wastewater reclamation plants treated 1.44 billion gallons of used water!

Our water is sourced from wells, springs, creeks, mine tunnels and the Echo Reservoir. It’s provided to us by various water companies. We never own it. SBWDB “reclaims” it — treats it, then discharges it into local streams. It flows into reservoirs and eventually, into the Great Salt Lake. It’s an efficient ecological system.

According to Luers, there are several “habits that can help our local environment.”

  • Never flush down the toilet: “flushable” wipes, dental floss, tampons, condoms, toothpaste caps or other personal care products. This stuff doesn’t break down and either gets wrapped around the plant’s powerful pumps or needs to be screened out of huge pipes before the treatment process begins. Throw these items in the trash!
  • Don’t pour grease and cooking oil down the drain. In pipes, grease hardens and oils form a putty-like substance. These may block pipes in your home and even cause raw sewage to back up. They can clog up the wastewater plant’s pipes. Put used grease and oil in a container and throw it in the trash!
  • Even though urine contains most of the pharmaceuticals in wastewater, flushing them down the toilet adds more. Our district’s reclamation plants use advanced treatment methods but pharmaceuticals cannot be removed. Discharged into streams, they are absorbed by fish and can affect their development. Take unused medications to a drop-off box at the Sheriff’s or Police Office, the Redstone Clinic, or one of Recycle Utah’s Hazardous Waste Days.
  •  Mike Luers would love to give you or your group a tour of our reclamation facility. Call him at (435) 64 –7993, or email him at mluers@sbwrd.org.


Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.