Park City School District contractor dumped contaminated water into city creek

A view of the Treasure Mountain Junior High School and the creek that runs along its western site perimeter from the North 40 playing fields on November 19, 2025. Photo: Marina Knight // TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah – Following a whistleblower’s allegations of environmental violations during Park City School District’s demolition of Treasure Mountain Jr High, city and county officials confirmed this week those allegations involved not just asbestos but water.

According to several entities with direct knowledge of the project, the district’s contractor unlawfully discharged an unknown quantity of contaminated water into the creek west of the campus. 

The action occurred west of the school, where the creek runs through the fields at the North 40, past the school and under SR 248 into Silver Creek, which flows along the recreation path toward Quinn’s Junction. 

After it was reported to authorities, state officials tested the creek water and it was found to contain elevated levels of contaminants, according to Park City Municipal.

Park City officials confirmed they were notified of the dumping and confirmed samples taken at the discharge point showed elevated amounts of lead. TownLift has filed a GRAMA request with the Utah Division of Water Quality to obtain the contractor’s reports and the agency’s investigative findings.

A whistleblower alerted TownLift that the water was piped from the junior high work site into the creek by contractors connecting the construction area to an existing pipe. That person estimated up to 19,000 gallons of water per day may have been piped into the creek for more than a week, and that the water could contain elevated amounts of arsenic in addition to lead.

The water was groundwater from the site excavation — used in a process known as dewatering. Under state and federal law, water from dewatering must be captured and tested before disposal, or routed into the municipal sewer system with approval. Discharging it directly into a creek without testing is illegal under Utah’s stormwater regulations and the site’s federally overseen cleanup plan. 

The Treasure Mountain Junior High property is governed by a CERCLA (Superfund) environmental agreement because the area sits atop historic mining waste. Lead- and arsenic-laden soils were excavated from the campus during a prior remediation effort, and regulators require tighter controls on excavation, dust and water movement to prevent re-exposing contaminated material.

“The Health Department is currently assessing the situation and is working with city and state partners on next steps,” Derek Siddoway, Public Information Officer for the Summit County Health Department, said Thursday.  

City and county officials did not respond to requests for comment regarding whether the creek downstream from the construction site is currently safe for people or their pets to come in contact with. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is monitoring the work and visits the site twice a week, according to PCSD Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman. The DEQ did not respond to a request for comment about the alleged violations Thursday.

EPA Region 8 spokeswoman Katherine Jenkins told TownLift she was reviewing information about the water discharge, and did not provide comment by deadline.

News of the water contamination comes after the district addressed another whistleblower allegation this week flagging a construction compliance notice involving improper handling of asbestos. With that, district officials sent employees an internal memo Wednesday explaining demolition was stopped as soon as asbestos was discovered. That may contradict a letter the district received from environmental consultants Cripple Creek, describing asbestos concerns at the site in September.

That letter reads in part: “Tucker Jay Smith (ASB-8180), conducted an asbestos survey update on September 16th, 2025. This update occurred after reviewing the hard copy of the Management Plan, in which it was noted that the surfacing material had been abated. Before demolition had occurred to the asbestos containing surfacing material, Cripple Creek learned that the material abatement note was not correct and immediately scheduled a full asbestos survey.”

District officials have not yet shared any public information on the water violations. However, on Thursday, they announced they were hiring a new contractor through an emergency process to complete the project after ending their existing contract with R&R last month around the same time the violations reportedly occurred.

PCSD said Thursday it was changing contractors after realizing it needed full time environmental site management. District spokesman Colton Elliott said in a statement the change was also due to “other performance and communication factors.”

In addition, school board Vice President Nick Hill said Thursday district officials had ‘no evidence’ of any corner-cutting by R&R Environmental.

This is a developing story and TownLift will update the community as new information becomes available.