Citizen groups counter Utah Lake bridge proposal

PROVO, Utah — Leave Utah Lake alone. That's the message in a proposal that a coalition of recreation and environmental groups filed this week with the Utah Department of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

The Utah chapter of the Sierra Club, Utah Valley Earth Forum, Utah Waterfowl Association, Bonneville School of Sailing and Seamanship and Friends of Great Salt Lake oppose a plan from a developer to build twin toll bridges over Utah Lake.

State regulators have sought counter proposals in order to determine the best use of the lake. A decision will be based on the division's public trust obligation to ensure the highest use of sovereign lands, agency spokesman Jason Curry has said.

In its proposal, the coalition said the lake should be preserved in its natural state for future generations. A state park about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, the 96,600-acre lake is Utah's largest freshwater resource. It provides year-round access for boating, fishing, bird watching and other recreational activities.

"Leaving this corridor in its natural state will help protect Utah Lake's contribution to the $1.2 billion economic benefit that the State of Utah derives annually from hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing," the coalition petition states.

Only the coalition and developer Leon Harward have submitted proposals, said state sovereign lands director Dave Grierson.

Harward said the $600 million bridge project would connect fast-growing bedroom communities on the lake's west side with the Provo-Orem metropolitan area. Under his plan, the tolls collected would pay off project investors and maintain the bridges.

Harward declined to comment on the environmentalists' proposal, or the suggestion that leaving the lake as is was the best and highest use of the area.

In a statement provided to The Daily Herald, coalition members said the lake should not be sacrificed for the benefit of a handful of developers.

"The proposed massive, seven-mile-long, concrete structure would damage the lake's ecology, pollute its waters, add congestion and air pollution, and create a permanent ugly scar on our valley," said James Westwater, chairman of the Utah Valley Earth Forum.