Where: Grand County, Utah

Problem: Small water systems lack the technical, financial and managerial capacity to manage their systems.

Solution: Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) provides technical assistance to ensure compliance with regulations.

Professor Valley Field Camp is a small, transient non-community water system that hauls water from the nearby city of Moab. Canyonlands Field Institute, a nonprofit organization, operates the camp for its seasonal youth programs.

In March 2022, Utah’s Division of Drinking Water requested that RCAC assist Professor Valley Field Camp with compliance concerns. Following the onboarding of a new operations director, the small water system required assistance with general training, reporting, seasonal start-up procedures, emergency disinfection, and developing cross-connection control methods and Revised Total Coliform Rule (RTCR) site sample plans.

RCAC addressed Professor Valley Field Camp’s various needs over the course of several meetings and an in-person site visit. RCAC partnered with the system to develop appropriate start-up procedures, cross-connection control plans and site sampling plans while providing training on how to effectively implement these plans and procedures to protect public health. This process has strengthened the water system operator’s capacity to make informed decisions regarding system operation to ensure that it is safe and efficient.

Having strengthened the system’s capacity and addressed its concerns, Professor Valley Field Camp is well on its way to compliance, ensuring that field camp participants can enjoy dependable, safe drinking water for years to come.