TU Seeks Cooperation to Restore Summit County Streams

By Alan Matheson, Jr 
Director, Utah Water Project for Trout Unlimited
(Published Dec, 2002, Utah Water Project Newsletter)

Older residents of Summit County remember a time – not that long ago – when they could look through the clear water of East Canyon Creek and see large brown trout holding under grassy banks and spawning kokanee salmon challenging the current as they struggled upstream.

The view from the bank today looks quite different. East Canyon Creek has been reduced to an algae-choked trickle where only a few hardy trout cling to survival. The salmon are long-gone. This summer, the creek virtually dried up above the Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District’s wastewater treatment facility. Largely as a result of these flows, concentrations of pollutants in the creek exceed health-based state water quality standards. Flows from the treatment plant to East Canyon Reservoir consist primarily of treated sewage effluent.

Summit County, located east of Salt Lake City, is among the fastest-growing areas of Utah. Drawn by natural amenities such as alpine mountains and creeks, new residents have flocked to Park City and surrounding areas. These recent arrivals need water, but sources are limited in this headwater basin. Available water sources have largely been developed – without coordination and at great cost to local streams – yet large new golf course developments continue to be approved and constructed. Thirsty Snyderville Basin communities are now looking outside the basin and are designing pipeline projects to bring water from the Weber River to Park City, that could turn the popular Weber River fishery into the next victim of unchecked sprawl.

While the situation is troubling, TU remains hopeful that the streams of Summit County can be restored even in the face of intense population pressures. Part of the solution may lie in more comprehensive water planning that specifically identifies available water supplies, better coordinates existing suppliers, implements conservation measures, assesses reasonable current and future demand, and provides necessary water for streams. With this in mind, TU and other interested parties have taken initial steps to engage water interests in a constructive dialogue. Specifically, TU staff have:

• met with water users and suppliers to encourage voluntary contributions of water to streams, and met with pipeline proponents to discuss alternative means of supplying water;
• requested the Governor’s assistance to convene and facilitate meetings of stakeholders to begin the water planning process;
• encourage the State Engineer to enforce existing water rights and restrict approval of new water rights in the basin (to his credit, the State Engineer has undertaken a detailed review of these water rights);
• sought the return of water of East Canyon Creek as part of a negotiated settlement, and participated in stream restoration projects on the creek;
• worked with a watershed committee to reduce pollution in the creek;
• developed a media campaign to educate the public regarding these water challenges; and
• filed a legal protest against one of the pipeline projects requesting that no decision be made until a comprehensive water plan is developed.

The water supply problems facing Summit County are the products of years of shortsighted decisions to satisfy narrow interests. The scenario of burgeoning demand for water from limited and fragile sources is playing out all over the West. The successful resolution of the challenges facing Summit County could provide a model for similar cooperative solutions in other growing areas of Utah and surrounding states.

Financial contributions to the Utah Water Project are tax deductible and greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to Trout Unlimited and mail them to the project office at: P.O. Box 900054, Sandy, UT 84090.

Questions? Contact Alan Matheson at 801-747-0747.