Lisa Smith, director of Save Our Canyons, said her group would have some concerns over work in the canyons.

"Our first concern is for the watershed. We recognize there will be growth, and we need to do everything possible to protect the watershed," she said.

Alexis Kelner, also with Save Our Canyons, said he was on the committee back in 1990, "and we have the same concerns now that we had back then. One of those is what their plans would be for dealing with the muck or debris they pull out of the tunnel? There will be tons of muck. And what debris will this release into the watershed?"

Onno Wieringa, general manager/president of Alta, said it is good to revisit the subject.

"Talk of an interconnect tunnel has been going on for a long time. This is just another flurry, but it's good to see what new technology is available, to see what works and see what problems can be solved. There are lots of transportation issues. Skiing is just one," he said.

Bob Bonar, president/CEO of Snowbird, said, "As skier days in Utah grow, it's important to look to the future and to be prepared. It makes sense to research the possibility of efficient, environmentally friendly ways to address potential transportation issues similar to those that already exist in other states. The canyons around the Wasatch Front do see busy days at times, so this discussion is a step towards mitigating existing and future traffic problems."

Lorraine Januzelli, public affairs officer with the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, said some of the same issues looked at in 1990 will also be addressed now. These include mitigating effects created by increased traffic, an increase in staff, reviewing permit systems "and, of course, water quality."

Roughly 80 percent of the water supply for the Salt Lake Valley comes from the two canyons.

There are, in fact, old mining tunnels connecting Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. In the winter, to avoid avalanche danger, carriers used the mining shafts to travel between canyons to deliver main and goods.

But, as Mower said, despite the fact that the mysterious agenda calls for an action committee to "study and implement," this meeting is simply to look at future transportation issues.

---

E-mail: grass@desnews.com