What Did the City's Consultant Say About Zion Shores? Quick Answer
In an October 26, 2026 letter to Washington City, engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer said the design of the Zion Shores surf park's water treatment system has "advanced substantially" and the developer's answers increased its confidence the system will work. It also said a lack of data, unvalidated assumptions and no detailed operating protocol still limit how well the system can be judged, especially in unusual conditions.
The letter is in the packet for the Washington City Council workshop at 4 p.m. Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at City Hall, 111 North 100 East. It is a discussion item; the workshop agenda lists no vote. The meeting streams at washingtoncity.org/meetings.
Will Zion Shores Use City Water?
Not as a backup, according to the letter. Hazen wrote that if the risks it flagged in September come true, the listed fix is to temporarily close the facility, which "provides assurance that the city water supply won't be utilized as a backstop." Hazen said the city's interests are protected as long as everyone involved, including future surf park users, knows that is the plan.
In the developer's responses quoted in the letter, the only potable water connections are hose bibs and eyewash stations at the chemical storage areas. All other service water comes from the project's well or its own treated water. Hazen called that "good."
How Does the Surf Park Water System Work?
Hazen describes four connected parts:
- Groundwater wells, whose water quality can vary.
- The wave recirculation system that filters the surf lagoon.
- A total dissolved solids (TDS) system that uses reverse osmosis to keep salt levels in the lagoons from rising.
- An evaporation pond that receives the salty brine left over.
The design is based on well water under 3,100 mg/L TDS and 1,850 mg/L sulfate, matched to two lab tests the developer cited (3,090 mg/L TDS and 1,834.17 mg/L sulfate). Hazen said it has not seen the spreadsheets behind those numbers and can't tell how representative the samples are.
What Does Hazen Still Want?
- A full basis-of-design document. The developer says one is being assembled with operating manuals. Hazen has not received it, and says it may resolve some concerns.
- The state's acceptance letter for the evaporation pond. The developer says the state water board accepted the pond design. Hazen says the city should get a copy if it has not already.
- A month-by-month water balance. Hazen says the developer's water and salt balance is "static and not dynamic" and wants a separate balance for the amenity pond that includes monthly rainfall. It also questions a drop in projected filter backwash to the amenity pond, from 2.9 million gallons a year to 870,000 gallons, with no change in design.
- Answers on the evaporation pond. Hazen says assuming the pond starts each cycle empty is "not a robust assumption." It says the pond has at least 2 feet of freeboard in normal conditions, but it is unclear whether that was tested for process upsets or slower evaporation. It also says wind and a salt crust on the pond could lower evaporation and have not been considered.
- Performance targets. Hazen says it is "unusual" that no incoming solids or finished water clarity targets have been set, which makes it hard to measure whether the equipment is working.
- Commitments in writing. On amenity pond management, Hazen recommends a formal letter from Alaia to the city.
Hazen also recommends the city accept the developer's offer to tour a treatment plant that uses a similar process, and says Hazen staff can go along.
How Did the City Get Here?
Hazen first reviewed the project in memos dated May 26 and September 10, 2026. The developer answered with a September 30 memo. The October 26 letter is Hazen's response to that memo.
Earlier, on January 14, 2026, the City Council approved the location of the evaporation pond for Conditional Use Permit C-25-07, applicant Zion Shores Development, by a 4–1 vote. Council members Belliston, Casperson, Henderson and Ivie voted yes, and Coats voted no. The approval required the developer to apply to rezone the pond site from Open Space to a commercial zone and to replace the same amount of open space elsewhere in the project.
What Else Is Washington City Doing Nov. 10?
The regular council meeting at 6 p.m. considers a higher parks impact fee, a $95,000 zoning code rewrite and a new segment of ARA Parkway. See our Nov. 10 council preview and the St. George boundary adjustment hearing. For the rest of the city, see our Washington, Utah guide.
Sources: Hazen and Sawyer, "Submittal Review of Zion Shores Surf Park Water Treatment System," Oct. 26, 2026, in the Washington City Council workshop packet, Nov. 10, 2026; Washington City Council minutes, Jan. 14, 2026. This story reports only what the city's consultant wrote; the developer's full responses were not in the packet.
