The Jordan River was named one of the 10 most endangered landscapes in 2003 by national nonprofit organization Scenic America, but the river's water quality has improved over the last decade, said Salt Lake County water resources specialist Natalie Rees.

Still, the Jordan River is far from being postcard-perfect or touted as the "jewel of the valley" that Rees says it could be. That's why she hopes the public will use the Blueprint project as a sounding board to speak up for the river and change its course from being neglected.

"I've kayaked the lower section of the river," Rees says. "There are areas where people will just dump old TVs and vacuum cleaners and tires into the river, and we really need to change that so people see this as a river and not a canal ... My hope is really that we can change, we can elevate the Jordan River to the amazing resource that it has the potential to be ... and I'm hopeful that we can work together as a community to get it there."

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