Saratoga Springs relies on multiple water sources to meet its community needs. According to an undated document from the City of Saratoga Springs, the city receives treated water from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District. This district provides drinking water through a combination of both groundwater and surface water.
In addition to the water provided by the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, the City of Saratoga Springs pumps groundwater from five deep wells. These wells tap into underground aquifers located more than a hundred feet below the earth’s surface. The water generated by snow melt in the recharge zone along the east side of Utah Lake helps recharge these aquifers, according to an undated document from the city.
The Saratoga Springs Water Division, which is part of the City's Department of Public Works, monitors the drinking water for safety. According to an undated document, the division performs this monitoring by sampling and analyzing the water for a wide range of Federal and State regulated contaminants, compounds, and analytes. These include metals, radionuclides, microbials, disinfection byproducts, and volatile organic compounds. To ensure there are no detectable levels of harmful bacteria or chemicals, samples are collected from 60 locations throughout the city every month, according to an undated document.
Water quality data from an undated document indicates that the average pH level for drinking water in the City's Drinking Water System is 7.6. The document also notes that water hardness tests show the city averages 142 parts per million (ppm) as calcium carbonate or 8.3 grains per gallon (gpg), which characterizes the water as moderately hard. Furthermore, the undated document states that fluoride is not added to the city's drinking water. This follows the passage of HB81, the Fluoride Amendments, which became effective May 7, 2025, and prohibits the addition of fluoride to public drinking water, according to an undated document.
Residents may encounter water odors due to various factors. An undated document from the city explains that a common source of odors is homeowners' hot water heaters. This occurs when harmless anaerobic bacteria in groundwater react with the magnesium and aluminum sacrificial anodes in the heaters to produce sulfide gases. Another source of odors can be drains in the home, such as those where grease or debris has built up in pipes, p-traps, or food waste disposers. According to an undated document, odors can also enter a home from the sewer if an empty sink p-trap lacks a sufficient water barrier.
To protect the drinking water pipe system, the city recommends specific maintenance for household water softener systems. Because these systems generate wastewater when flushing the resin during regeneration, the discharge is typically directed to a floor drain. An undated document states that an air gap is necessary to provide a physical barrier between the softener discharge and the drain to prevent siphon action from pulling wastewater back into the home's drinking water system.
What this means for Saratoga Springs
Because the Central Utah Water Conservancy District provides a primary source of treated water, residents rely on the city's Water Division to monitor quality. Residents should maintain air gaps on water softener discharge hoses to prevent contamination and should be aware that the city's water is moderately hard and contains no added fluoride.
