The city recently received a perfect score in the Division of Drinking Water for the state of Utah’s sanitary survey.

Utah mandates municipalities have their water systems inspected every three years. 

All public drinking water systems are evaluated to assess their construction, operations and record keeping. 

The inspections identify conditions that may present a sanitary or public health risk, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

During Tuesday’s City Council work session meeting, Neal Winterton, public works director for Pleasant Grove, described the survey as a “white-glove” test of the cleanliness of the city’s facilities, including spring collection boxes, wells, tanks and overall delivery.

Winterton read a letter addressed to city leaders by Tom McOmie, emergency response program manager for the Division of Drinking Water, where he commended the city’s commitment to public health.

“What stood out most during this inspection was that I did not issue a single deficiency–an outcome that is exceptionally rare,” McOmie said in the letter. “In fact, this is almost unheard of in the course of my work. It is a true testament to the caliber of your staff and the high standards you uphold.” 

While maintaining such a high ranking for clean water may seem like the standard, the Utah DEQ said it’s very seldom that a city’s drinking water receives a perfect score in a sanitary survey. The agency goes on to say that, though many cities across the state aim to provide safe and reliable drinking water, sustaining a consistent perfect score isn’t always feasible due to varying factors, such as where the water is coming from, infrastructure and possible contaminated sources.

“Your system is a model for others to follow, and your work exemplifies the best of what we hope to see in drinking water systems throughout Utah,” McOmie said in the letter, after conducting Pleasant Grove’s sanitary survey.

The 2025 report is an improvement from a previous survey in 2022, when the inspection determined Pleasant Grove’s water was somewhat susceptible to potential sources of contamination due to the number of homes, parks and roads surrounding its water wells.

During the meeting, the City Council also honored three members of the city’s public works department who were honored for their professionalism, dedication and attention to detail as the survey was being conducted. The three were Water and Sewer Division Manager Drew Hoffman, Water Quality Foreman Derrick Rowberry and Culinary Water Foreman Trevor Workman.

Hoffman said the survey results are just a stepping stone to future improvements in the city’s water he and his team aim to execute.

“All I can say it’s really good to be standing here right now with a letter like that, instead of letters you guys have received in the past,” he said before the City Council. “And that’s our ultimate goal, is to never have that again.”