Cottonwoods Connection
The Cottonwoods Connection will connect the water supplies of both the Big and Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plants. This allows for untreated water to be transferred to either plant for treatment. Thus, if either plant needs to be reduced in capacity or taken off-line as they are being rebuilt, there will still be continuous water supply during the construction. This will also save 24,000 acre-feet annually of storage in Deer Creek Reservoir during construction of the Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant—equivalent to fulfilling the water needs of approximately 110,000 people.
The construction of Cottonwoods Connection involves three major pipelines:
CC1
BCWTP to SLAR at Ft. Union Blvd.: A 36-inch diameter welded steel pipe within the public right-of-way, crossing Wasatch Blvd. and designed to withstand earthquakes.
CC2
LCWTP Campus to SLAR: A 36-inch diameter welded steel pipe contained within the District’s property.
SLAR
Parallel to SLA: A 72-inch to 60-inch diameter welded steel pipe, 100% contained within the existing SLA easement.
Key Elements:
Add new steel pipeline parallel to existing Salt Lake Aqueduct
Replace the capacity of the existing
Little Cottonwood Conduit pipeline
Protect against
seismic activity
Optimize the use
of limited water resources
Create long-term resiliency to
overall water system
Key Elements:
Add new steel pipeline parallel to existing Salt Lake Aqueduct
Replace the capacity of the existing Little Cottonwood Conduit pipeline
Protect against
seismic activity
Optimize the use
of limited water resources
Create long-term resiliency tooverall water system
Big and Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plants
The Salt Lake Aqueduct, constructed in the 1940s, serves as a primary drinking water supply for Salt Lake Valley. Although the 84-inch diameter pipe was designed and constructed to the highest standards of its time, it does not meet modern seismic resiliency standards. This project will add a parallel aqueduct for hazard resiliency and refurbish the existing aqueduct to extend its service life.
Constructed in the 1930s, the Little Cottonwood Conduit has served Salt Lake City’s water needs for nearly a century and now needs retirement and repurposing. The LCC capacity will be replaced by the Cottonwoods Connection pipeline once the two treatment plants are reconstructed.
To accommodate the construction of a new state-of-the-art treatment plant, the District is planning a new pipeline that parallels the Salt Lake Aqueduct (SLA) between the Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant (BCWTP) at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon and the Little Cottonwood Water Treatment Plant (LCWTP) in Cottonwood Heights. The new pipeline will direct the water normally treated at the BCWTP to the LCWTP for treatment during reconstruction.
The anticipated project schedule runs through 2026. Please check back as needed for updates to this schedule.
Stay Informed!
To stay informed about the progress of the MWDSLS project and receive regular updates, we invite you to join our mailing list. By subscribing, you will receive timely information about project milestones, significant developments, and other relevant announcements.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Cottonwoods Connection project. We value your support and look forward to sharing further updates with you as we move forward. Should you have any questions or require additional information, please feel free to reach out to us.
By submitting your email address, you are consenting to receive emails from Cottonwoods Connection. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.
Project Partners
