Kearns Improvement District (KID) is a water and sewer utility located in Kearns, Utah. KID encompasses the area formerly known as Camp Kearns which was established as an air force replacement center during World War II. When the government constructed Camp Kearns, it obtained a water supply from Salt Lake City which was transported from the east side of the valley through a 16” water main. A water distribution system, a sewage collection system, and a sewage treatment plant were installed by the government for the armed forces. The military personnel stationed at Camp Kearns at one time reached a peak of approximately 50,000.
In 1946, following World War II, the Water Assets Administration sold the entire property at Kearns, including the water and sewage systems, to Standard Surplus Inc., a New York corporation. One of the conditions of the sale required that the property and utilities be made available to the public for use as a town site. Standard Surplus Inc. later changed its name to Kearns Townsite, Inc. and qualified to do business in the State of Utah. In 1949, the water distribution system was transferred to Kearns Distributing Company, Inc. All the sewage collection and treatment properties were transferred to Kearns Sewage Disposal Company. In 1955 these two companies merged into a company known as Kearns Utilities. Kearns Townsite Inc. eventually disposed of the remainder of its assets including lands and buildings, to individuals and other corporations.
In 1951, the Salt Lake County Water Conservancy District, now known as the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, was formed and assumed responsibility of delivering water to Kearns and throughout most of Salt Lake County.
In 1957, Kearns Utilities sold its water and sewer system to the newly formed Kearns Improvement District which was established in April of that year in anticipation of the purchase of the properties. The presence of water and sewer systems and the availability of low-cost land have been major contributing factors to Kearns’ growth and, over the years, Kearns has grown from a small Army community to over 40,000 people.
KID has also grown, from 3,100 connections in 1957 to over 13,500 connections today. As the Kearns community grew, the original sewer plant did not have the capacity needed to serve our customers. In 1981, KID partnered with six other entities to construct the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility to treat the sewage flow. We own an equity interest in this Facility and assure it will accommodate our growing needs for many years to come.
KID not only serves the Kearns community we also serve portions of West Jordan City, West Valley City and Taylorsville City. We continue to purchase 90% of the water we deliver from Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District and operate 12 wells in and around the area to supply the additional 10% of the water.
KID is a political subdivision of the State of Utah with specific statutory powers. We are governed by an elected Board of Trustees and currently have 40 employees working in five different departments of the District; water, sewer, administration, engineering and construction.
There is still plenty of room to grow within our boundaries and we will be able to meet the needs of future Kearns generations. We have a unique and exciting history and look forward with great anticipation to what the future holds.