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PROVO, Utah (AP) — The habitat for an endangered fish species found naturally only in Utah Lake and the Provo River would be improved under a plan endorsed by state and federal officials.
The final environmental impact statement for the Provo River Delta Restoration Project, released Friday, evaluates three alternatives for restoring the lower river and creating suitable habitat for the June sucker. It also includes a "no action" alternative.
The preferred alternative by the U.S. Interior Department, Central Utah Water Conservancy District and Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission would minimize the amount of private agricultural land acquired by the government while "providing adequate space for a naturally functioning river delta and sufficient habitat enhancement" to save the fish, according to the document.
The species spawns in the lower river and lives in Utah Lake.
"It's good we're progressing to the point where a decision will be made shortly," Mark Holden, projects manager of the commission, told The Daily Herald newspaper of Provo. "This will give certainty to the public and especially to landowners as to what the future will bring."
Holden's commission and the Interior Department are charged with deciding which alternative to implement. They must wait until May 10 before deciding.
This will give certainty to the public and especially to landowners as to what the future will bring.
–Mark Holden, projects manager
Holden said the final EIS marks the end of a five-year planning process. "It was time well spent, but it's a good thing we're moving forward," he said, adding the public also favors the alternative backed by the three governmental agencies.
The June sucker was listed as an endangered species in 1986, and recognition that action was needed to improve its habitat soon followed. But Holden said it wasn't until about 2010 that there was an "impetus" to begin the planning process. A draft EIS was released in February 2014.
Utah Lake was once home to millions of June sucker, but habitat degradation and the introduction of non-native fish reduced their numbers to less than 400 in the mid-1990s. The population has since grown to tens of thousands. The lower Provo has been dredged and channelized so much over the years that one official has called it "basically just a dirt bathtub."
Saving the June sucker also is about saving the water supply for growing cities along the Wasatch Front. Water officials don't want to run the risk of having their water supplies jeopardized by the species.
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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldextra.com
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