To underline the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic to all county residents, the Summit County Health Department confirms multiple positive cases of the virus in both the North and South Summit areas of the county.

“There is a misconception that COVID-19 is only in the greater Park City area and this simply isn’t the case,” Dr. Rich Bullough, Summit County Health Director, said. “For days, we have encouraged residents across the county to assume the same level of caution. Not only are all areas of the county at the same level of risk, but every resident should assume that they have already been exposed to COVID-19. Now is not the time to let down your guard.”

Summit County’s first positive case of COVID-19 was on March 11. The first positive case of community spread was announced on March 14. Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. In the Summit County case, the patient had no history of travel and no known contact with any person who has been confirmed to have COVID-19. In the two weeks since the number of cases has continued to rise and was at 73 as of March 23. Dr. Bullough does not expect the case number growth to slow anytime in the near future.

“Due to insufficient tests available nation-wide, it is safe to assume that we have several times that number of cases in Summit County,” Bullough said. “We are in this for the long haul.”

In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, Summit County Government and its Health Department have enacted a series of emergency declarations and public health orders limiting food service, prohibiting gatherings of more than ten and other preventive measures.

“This pandemic will not cure itself overnight, or over the course of a month,” said Summit County Council Chair, Doug Clyde. “We ask the public to aid us in our fight against the spread of COVID-19 by complying with these Health Orders to their fullest extent. These efforts require diligence and patience from every group in every community in Summit County. One person who thinks the rules don’t apply to them can endanger our vulnerable population and drastically set back our efforts with their irresponsible actions.”

Visit summitcountyhealth.org/coronavirus for Summit County-specific information on COVID-19. At this website, the public can also find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and community resources that are updated regularly as the pandemic situation evolves.

To learn more about COVID-19, visit coronavirus.utah.gov or call (800) 456-7707.

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Shawn Breckenridge, 40, of West Valley City, entered a guilty plea to driving under the influence of alcohol, a class A misdemeanor, and alcohol restricted driver, a class B misdemeanor. Sentencing is scheduled for April 2.

Chance David Phillips, 34, of Park City, entered into a 12-month plea in abeyance to possession or use of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor. The court ordered him to pay a $500 fee and complete other standard terms and conditions.

Jacqueline Gulla, 44, of Salt Lake City, entered a guilty plea to identity fraud, a third-degree felony. Sentencing is scheduled for April 23.

Quinton L. Holmes, 27, of Park City, was sentenced for the offense of theft, a class A misdemeanor; possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, a second-degree felony; possession or use of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor; and theft, a class B misdemeanor. The court imposed a one-year jail sentence and a $2,500 fine for the class A misdemeanor. That sentence was suspended and the court placed him on supervised probation for 36 months and ordered the defendant to serve 30 days in jail with credit for 30 days served, pay $716.12 to Maverik, a $1,000 fine and $379.59 in restitution, and complete other standard terms and conditions.

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Hours of operation

Summit County plow operators will work from 4 a.m. until 10 p.m., unless a storm rolls in overnight and continues throughout the day. Main roads and school bus routes will become the focus. This is due to enforcement of commercial driver’s license hours of operation and a lack of human resources to cover every road.

Snow Storage

All property owners must contain all of the snow from their property, including their driveway, on their own property (Summit County Code 7-3-4 & 7-3-5). They may not push their snow out onto a county road or into the county right-of-way because it creates hazards to plow operators and other drivers.

All landscaping, mail boxes, markers and other items placed in the county right-of-way are at risk. Any damage sustained to these items will not be the responsibility of the county (Summit County Code 7-3-10).

Crews do everything they can to miss/avoid hitting these items, but they cannot see what’s under the snow. As heavy/wet snow rolls out the end of the plow blade, there is a lot of force that easily knocks things over, such as mailboxes. Any damage that may be caused to county snow removal equipment may become the responsibility of the property owner.

All utilities must be marked with a pole and flag

All fire hydrants and utility structures shall be marked by the owner of the hydrant or utility structures with a pole or other sign that extends well above the normally anticipated depth of accumulated snow – a 6-foot minimum – at that location so that locations of the hydrants and utility structures can be readily determined even during periods when it is covered (Summit County Code 7-3-8).

Seasonal limits on parking

No on-street parking is authorized on county roads, except otherwise marked by the county, between Nov. 15 and April 15.

Vehicles or other obstacles which hamper county snow-removal operations will be towed or removed at the owner’s expense. The county shall not assume any liability for damage to vehicles parked on the street, or other obstacles placed in the county right-of-way in violation of this chapter.

Damage to snow removal equipment resulting from contact with vehicles which are illegally parked or other obstacles placed in the county right-of-way shall be the responsibility of the vehicle owner or persons responsible for the obstacles placed there (Summit County Code 7-3-3).

General Safety

When walking or riding, watch for plows because plow drivers may not see you. Do not run into the street to flag down a plow. This may surprise the operator and cause an accident.

Do not build snow forts in the big snow berms along the road. A plow could come along at any time and push into the piles.

Solid Waste Services

If weather delays trash or recycling pickup, leave cans next to the road and they will be serviced the next day, if possible. Severe weather delays can cause a cascade of delays to areas that are supposed to be served on subsequent days.

For more information, call 435-336-3970

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Hilder has delegated all administrative duties to David Thomas, chief civil deputy, while he remains out of the office. Thomas will continue to serve as the civil division chief, while Patricia Cassell remains chief prosecutor and head of the Criminal Division.

During Hilder’s convalescence, he will continue to be informed of all substantive legal matters involving the county.

Council Chair Chris Robinson said, “Robert is a valuable member of the County’s legal team and we are fully supportive of him as he deals with this health issue.”

It is the county’s policy not to comment on details pertaining to the health status of an employee, but Hilder wanted to ensure the public was informed of his current health status.

Thomas added, “The office is functioning well and we look forward, with great anticipation, Robert’s speedy return.”

Any legal issues pertaining to the county can be addressed directly to either Thomas at dthomas@summitcounty.org or Cassell at pcassell@summitcounty.org.

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Water upstream from Rockport Reservoir has been running at approximately 2800 cubic feet per second (cfs), for the past several days. However, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District has been able to divert several hundred cfs, permitting a lower water volume, an average inflow of approximately 2300 cfs, to flow into Rockport Reservoir.

The water flow below the Wanship Dam has been at approximately 1500 cfs for several days. This is considered the safe channel capacity for this reach of the river, resulting in high water in certain areas. With Rockport Reservoir now reaching its capacity, the Wanship Dam began spilling water down the spillway this morning. At this time, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is adjusting their operations to keep the total releases as low as possible.

The River Forecast Center predicts that inflow into Rockport Reservoir will remain at about 2,300 cfs for the next couple of days, and then increase to 3,000 cfs between July 3rd and 5th. Based on these forecasted increases in inflow, Weber Basin may be forced to release a higher flow of water from the Wanship Dam (an increase from 1500 to 2200 cfs), resulting in spill levels over the dam that could exceed safe channel capacity.

This increased flow would result in a significant rise in the level of the Weber River between the Rockport and Echo Reservoirs, and may result in serious flooding of properties that are within 1-2 feet above the current elevation of the river.

The forecasted cfs numbers are not exact, and may reflect peaks in flow, rather than constant flow. However, it is wise for residents to be aware of increased flow potential, and prepare for it. In the event that the water inflows increase as forecasted from 2300 to 3000 cfs, a Level Two Response may be declared, which would be a more significant threat.

A Level Two Response would indicate a possible threat to structures, and residents and businesses within the river’s floodplain should protect their property with several rows of sand bags around the structures’ perimeter. In addition, a Level Two Response would alert residents that they should be prepared to evacuate if instructed by emergency officials to do so.

Summit County will remain in continual contact with Weber Basin Water Conservancy District and will continue to inform the public regarding any changes.

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