Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — Around 100 protesters gathered outside the Utah Lake State Park Visitors Center Thursday night to oppose a proposal to shift the last 1.5 miles of the Provo River channel to the north and restore it to a more natural delta environment.
Officials say the proposal, while still in the planning stages, is key to reviving the June sucker population, a fish native only to Utah Lake that has been on the federal endangered species list since 1986.
The crowd had gathered under bright construction-style lights holding placards that read, "Save the Provo River," before the start of a public "working meeting" set up to gather input for what to do with the land remaining once the river channel gets moved.
One protestor, Taft Kayz, of Provo, questioned the need to restore a delta habitat. "For thousands of years that June sucker has gone up the Provo River and they're doing it today," he said.
Kayz said he believes the real motive for the delta restoration proposal is to extend the state park's system of trails and campgrounds, so the government can make money.
- Named for its annual June spawning run
- Endemic to Utah Lake
- federally listed as an endangered species in April 1986
"They're hiding behind this little idea that we're saving the June sucker," he said.
Benjamin Allen owns a ropes course and canoeing rental business along the Provo River. He said he supports efforts to save the June sucker, but would like to see a smaller, less costly project that keeps some water in the current channel.
Biologists estimated that only around 300 spawning adult June suckers existed in 1986, and those numbers had increased to around 1,400 in 2010, said Mark Holden, projects manager for the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, a federal agency.
The lake was home to millions of June suckers in the early 1800s, according to the junesuckerrecovery.org website.
Reed Harris, of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said tens of thousands of June suckers have been stocked into the lake from hatcheries, but it can take three to five years to grow to adulthood.
Because of spring flooding in 2011, wildlife biologists could not get a count of the populations, Harris said, but his hopes are high the population numbers will reach into the "thousands" this year.
And since compliance with the Endangered Species Act is tied to future development of the Central Utah Project needed to increase the supply of water to the Wasatch Front, there isn't really an alternative, Holden said.
No good alternatives, government says
There is no practical alternative to the northern route, he added. The purpose of the working meeting was only to get input on what to do with the land that remains once the river is moved. Some alternatives include putting in fishing ponds or trails, filling in the channel completely or partially — leaving a small stream — and whatever other ideas the public might have.
Other ideas, such routing the river further south, or leaving it where it is to restore the delta, have been ruled out by various studies over the years as either too costly or too impractical, according to officials.
Further south, the Provo Municipal Airport could be threatened by the wetland waters and the accompanying bird populations. Staying put and "de-channelizing" the river would pose a flood threat to residential subdivisions and businesses already in the area, Holden said.
Because the Provo River has been dredged and "channelized" over the years, the water has become too deep, cold and fast-moving for the June sucker to spawn, hatch and move into Utah Lake without enough protection from to keep from being being consumed by predator fish, such as carp, Holden said.
After meeting outside, the crowd of protestors filtered into the working meeting along with other members of the public. But officials had to keep around 30 or 40 people from entering due to the unexpected turnout.
Another, similar meeting would be arranged and announced later, they told the crowd.
Email:lbrubaker@ksl.com