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ST. GEORGE — Utah is on the verge of moving forward with an ambitious plan to connect its communities through a series of trail systems, and as that is planned out, a state legislator says there might be a way to help save water, too.
Rep. Rosemary Lesser, D-Ogden, urged members of the Utah Legislature's Transportation Interim Committee to consider approving more canal trails across the state during its meeting at Utah Tech University Monday. This method, she said, could work toward the original goal of the network and reduce canal loss at the same time.
"As we're at the initial stages of developing, in an organized fashion, our trail network, that we also simultaneously think about ways that we can save water," she said. "We have dedicated so much of our legislative attention over the past few years to water conservation and this is a primary way this can be accomplished, and also meet the needs of (active transportation)."
Members of the committee ultimately voted to open a committee bill file that explores the issue further ahead of the next legislative session during the meeting.
More canal trails?
Lesser presented the idea as the committee discussed the future of active transportation months after Utah lawmakers set aside $90 million to begin working on a network of state trails, creating a fund that can collect up to $45 million in a given fiscal year, as well. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Department of Transportation officials unveiled their lofty trail network last year, which they likened to an interstate highway system at the time.
Utah lawmakers have also dealt with plenty of water issues in recent years, especially at the height of Utah's drought that only began to dissipate this year.
These two large-scale issues can be combined together in some cases, such as canal trails, Lesser asserted. There are already some of these types of trails located across the state, such as the Murdock Canal Trail in Utah County and the Clearfield Canal Trail in Davis County. Some are built next to or over enclosed canals, and some are built next to open canal sections.
Matthew Crump, a Utah State University civil engineering graduate, who has studied active transportation in canal corridors, said every canal corridor is different. However, they can help reduce canal water loss caused by seepage and evapotranspiration, as well as improve water quality and management, which are important toward water conservation goals.
An open canal, Lesser said, has a loss ratio of about 25%, though, a state report notes that conveyance water loss can reach as high as 50% for any "unlined, earthen canals."
Canal trails can also help canal companies preserve their right-of-way and adapt to urbanization in addition to creating community value, too, Crump explained.
"These trails are a huge asset to the trail network throughout the state," he said. "Canals are far-reaching (and) they are intertwined within our communities, so they're a great resource for active transportation."
There are some potential constraints, though.
Canal trails typically cost between $500,000 and $750,000 per mile to build, depending on the width of the trail, which type of surface is used and the number of roadways that are crossed, Crump said. State or federal funding, grants and sales tax are some of the options to cover these costs.
He said canal trails can also increase maintenance needs and create more safety hazards, which may lead to new fencing, signage or other ideas to tackle this challenge. He said canal companies that he and other researchers spoke to expressed concerns over liability, while there may be additional concerns about privacy, too.
"It's just important to get a lot of public involvement when doing these trails," he said. "There are a whole variety of different solutions, but one of those is ... planting trees, and that helps to kind of provide that buffer and that privacy for homeowners."
Lesser pointed out that Utah may have to consider major improvements to its canal networks in the near future anyway because of their current condition. The American Society of Civil Engineers wrote that many of Utah's canals are in "poor" condition or are outdated in its 2020 infrastructure assessment.
Exploring the idea further
Lesser also proposed a handful of potential rule changes to help facilitate more canal trails. These include:
- Directing UDOT or another entity to create a "toolkit" to help local communities build canal trails.
- Directing UDOT to create an inventory of every canal in the state and see where it can overlap with a trail network.
- Analyzing any liability concerns that could dissuade future canal trails from being considered.
- Requiring communities to notify UDOT if land use applications will negatively affect canal corridor development.
- Creating a state grant program to cover some costs of enclosing a canal if the project comes with the construction of a trail.
Committee members appeared generally supportive of the concept, but expressed some hesitation about how to implement it.
Some pointed to the potential cost, while Rep. Karen Peterson, R-Clinton, said she is concerned focusing on canal trails could "subvert from our original purpose" of constructing new trails to connect the state.
Rep. Kay Christofferson, R-Lehi, also the committee's chairman, said he doesn't want to "duplicate effort," such as having UDOT look to see if they can implement Lesser's recommendations without the Legislature needing to pass new legislation.
Lesser clarified her intent is to combine two state priorities and not subtract from the trail program's intent, assuring she doesn't expect the state to build every new trail along a canal.
Rep. Ray Ward, R-Bountiful, added that he can see the value in the concept, noting that it could allow for times when the state can "leverage" funds that tackle both issues. That's why he said he thinks it's an idea worth at least exploring,
In the end, the committee agreed to open a committee bill file that could facilitate more canal trails in some form or fashion. The committee is slated to vote on all of its possible bill files in November, which will pave the way for some ideas to become bill proposals that will be discussed during the next legislative session.
