Plans to move Provo River could save June Sucker

PROVO — Building a delta in the Provo River could save the June sucker fish.

At least that's what Mark Holden, projects manager for the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, said Thursday to Utah Lake Commission members.

Holden presented information to the commission on why moving the lower portion of the Provo River and creating a delta would help the June sucker to thrive. When Utah Lake levels are high in the spring, there is a backwater effect that extends more than a mile up the Provo River, which creates colder and deeper water, he said.

This is about the same time the June sucker spawn, and their larvae rely on currents to bring them out to the shallower waters near the lake, Holden said.

Because of this backwater effect, many of the larvae sink to the bottom of the river and die or are eaten by predators because they cannot find shelter in the river, he said.

Building a delta would help the river to flow into the lake more quickly and provide warm, shallow water where plants could thrive and June sucker larvae could find food and shelter until they grow big enough to survive in the lake, Holden said.

The project would be similar to the one done where Hobble Creek empties into Utah Lake, he said. But Michael Mills, with the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program, said this new delta in the Provo River would draw 10 times as many June sucker to spawn.

Holden said plans now are to move the river north of Utah Lake State Park and west of 3100 West to Skipper Bay, but the mitigation commission doesn't have a specific design or plan at this point.

The commission is asking for public comment through April 30. Afterward, an environmental impact study will be conducted through the end of 2011.

Holden said the earliest the project would start is 2013, but he thinks it likely won't start until closer to 2015.

Some at the commission meeting wondered if a hatchery would suffice in bringing the June sucker into recovery, but Holden said the June sucker must be able to reproduce naturally.

Provo Mayor John Curtis said moving the Provo River would bring a great opportunity for his city.

"More than one objective can be accomplished with this," Curtis said. "There is a much larger view and a vision of what this whole area can be."

Lindon Mayor Jim Dain said the June sucker is a natural marker for how the lake is doing.

"When the June suckers are healthy, the lake is healthy," Dain said.

Comments about the proposal can be sent to urmcc@usbr.gov.

e-mail: slenz@desnews.com