Location: Skull Valley Tribe, Tooele County, Utah

Problem: The Tribe’s water system was in need of repair

Outcome: RCAC assisted the Skull Valley Tribe to restore its water system to operation.

The Skull Valley Indian Reservation, located in rural Tooele County, Utah, about 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, is a closed Tribe, meaning it does not allow visitors on its land. The Reservation is home to the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah, a federally recognized Tribe. The population consists of about 30 people in seven households. Virtually all residents live below the poverty line.

The Tribe’s water system needed repairs; and the water system had gone dry after a power transformer failed. The transformer had been replaced but the pump had not restarted when power was restored. After the water system went dry, the Tribe contacted the Indian Health Service (IHS). The IHS requested the Tribe’s permission to bring RCAC’s staff onto the Reservation to help fix the problem.

RCAC and IHS staff worked together to repair the system and restore water service to the Tribe. RCAC technical assistance provider Kevin Baughman met with IHS officer Lyle Setwyn after he learned of the water loss. Unfortunately, it turned out that after the transformer was replaced and power was restored the pump controls had tripped, and it had failed to restart.

Baughman, who has more than 20 years of electrical experience, helped troubleshoot the pump and control problems. Together, Baughman and Setwyn reset the pump controls and restored water pumping from the well to the Tribe. Water service was restored by the next morning.