Utah Department of Environmental Quality
Public Notice of Intent to Modify Ground Water Discharge Permit
No. UGW270008
Purpose of Public Notice
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is soliciting comments on the request to modify a groundwater discharge permit as described below. The groundwater discharge permit is issued by the Director of the Division of Water Quality under authority of the Utah Water Quality Act, Section 19-5-106(g) Utah Code Ann. 1953, as amended and Utah Administrative Code R317-6. Under Section 19-1-301.5, effective May 8, 2012, a person who wishes to challenge a Permit Order may only raise an issue or argument during an adjudicatory proceeding that was raised during the public comment period and was supported with sufficient information or documentation to enable the Director to fully consider the substance and significance of the issue. Utah Code Ann. 19-1-301.5 can be viewed at the following internet URL: le.utah.gov/ xcode/Title19/Chapter1/19-1-S301.5.html
Permit Information
Permittee: Sawtooth Caverns, LLC
Mailing Address: 6965 Union Park Center, Suite 270, Midvale, UT 84047
Facility Location: Section 30, T15S, R6W SW¼, Millard County, Utah
Section 31, T15S, R6W NW¼, Millard County, Utah
Sawtooth Caverns, LLC has requested to modify a groundwater discharge permit to allow a brine-sharing agreement with an adjoining cavern mining facility and to include newly installed monitoring and extraction wells at their cavern forming facility in Millard County, Utah, approximately 10 miles north of Delta. The facility is permitted and operates two brine-storing evaporation ponds and the associated salt caverns. The project entails solution mining storage caverns in a subsurface salt deposit for the purpose of storing hydrocarbons. The resulting brine from the solution mining process is stored for evaporation in the double lined HDPE evaporation ponds. The facility lies within an approximately 750-acre site located on Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) lands.
Public Comments
Public comments are invited any time through close of business on January 22, 2024. Written comments may be directed to the Division of Water Quality (DWQ), PO Box 144870, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4870. All comments received prior to close of business on January 22, 2024 will be considered in the formulation of final conditions to be imposed on the permit. A public hearing may be held if written requests are received within the first 15 days of this public comment period that demonstrate significant public interest and substantive issues exist to warrant holding a hearing.
Additional Information
Additional information may be obtained upon request by contacting David Jamison at (385) 260-4607 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by writing to the aforementioned address. Related documents are available for review during normal business hours at DWQ, 195 North 1950 West in Salt Lake City or on the DWQ web page at deq.utah.gov/public-notices-archive/water-quality-public-notices & https://secure.utah.gov/ pmn-admin/notice/add.html
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with special needs (including auxiliary communicative aids and services) should contact Larene Wyss, Office of Human Resources at (801) 503-5618.
Published in the Millard County Chronicle Progress December 20, 2023.
