The Park City Council has approved a new surplus water agreement with Deer Valley Resort that will help ensure more reliable snowmaking in the early winter months.
In addition to the 650 acre feet that Deer Valley currently accesses each snowmaking season, the resort will be allowed to purchase up to 300 extra acre feet of water from October to April each year.
In the 33 years since the last water agreement amendment in 1992, Deer Valley has added snowmaking to 23 more ski runs within the original footprint, making this surplus a necessary resource for the resort’s existing terrain. In recent years, the resort has routinely hit its maximum allocation.
“With natural snowfall arriving later in recent seasons, this agreement would allow us to open more terrain earlier and more reliably for our guests,” said Emily Summers, director of communications at Deer Valley.
Deer Valley will be able to buy up to 300 acre feet of extra water each snowmaking season. The cost depends on where the water is delivered, at $2,291 per acre foot at the Lower Connection near the Snow Park base area, and $3,381 per acre foot at the Upper Connection near Stein Eriksen Lodge. These rates will go up slightly each year, matching increases in the city’s normal water rates.
The first 150 acre feet are sold on a “take-or-pay” basis. That means Deer Valley has to pay for that amount whether they use it or not. If they do use some or all of it, the resort is charged based on where they take the water from at the agreed rates.
“We’ve been working closely with the city for over a year to secure additional water for snowmaking on our existing terrain,” said Summers. “This proposed surplus agreement would support snowmaking at Deer Valley’s original ski area and not the expansion terrain, which lies in a different watershed and is not eligible for this water source.”
Water from this agreement can only be used for snowmaking within the Weber River drainage, meaning runoff will return to McLeod Creek and Silver Creek.
“The agreement provides Park City with an additional revenue source that will help offset future water service costs and continues our collaborative relationship with Deer Valley resort operations,” said a City Council staff report.
The agreement is set to remain in effect through May 1, 2030, but Park City retains the right to end it sooner if necessary. The city may also pause or scale back water deliveries at any time to ensure that the needs of local residents take priority.