SkiLink compatible with clean water

Our pioneer ancestors understood that water was a precious resource in a desert state. Like the pioneers, I too know the importance of water quality to our community. The privilege of turning on our faucets to have fresh and clean water in our homes and businesses is one of Americas greatest achievements.

Salt Lake City has always been way ahead of federal efforts. I was a custodian of our citys water, serving as Salt Lake Citys Water Commissioner in 1967. By 1974, we had established a culture and expectation rooted in our state constitution and supported by local ordinances. In 1974, as mayor of Salt Lake City, I embraced this culture and supported the Safe Drinking Water Act, a federal act that focused on ground water contamination. As a U.S. Senator in 1977, I supported the Clean Water Act, sweeping federal protection designed to bring our nation up to clean water levels.

Almost 40 years later, water quality is once again in discussion as we consider SkiLink, a proposed gondola connecting Canyons and Solitude ski resorts. I support SkiLink and disagree with the speculation that a gondola will harm our water quality.

My disagreement is based on evidence. SkiLink would only require a narrow area within a small 30-acre footprint. An initial environmental study conducted for SkiLink by Cirrus Ecological Solutions, L.C., a highly-regarded environmental firm in Logan, Utah, reported there would be no significant impacts to the watershed or water quality from a gondola. I unreservedly agree we must be careful to balance our future water quality needs, but the balance must be without prohibiting activities which are a vital source of our economic well-being in Utah — like skiing and snowboarding.

Skiing is a pillar of Utahs $6.53 billion tourism industry. It pays a good share of our tax revenues and provides 123,000 jobs. This is an economic essential in these tough times. Ski lifts in Big Cottonwood Canyon have carefully maintained the balance between economic and environmental concerns — they have not polluted water. Some evidence:

The environmental studys central statement regarding potential water quality harm is, The proposed ski link does not appear to have the potential for this type of impact based on water quality records.

The report also says, Ski area development has taken place in Big Cottonwood Canyon since 1936 when Brighton was established, and a notable increase occurred in 1977 when Solitude was rebuilt and reopened. Through this period, monitoring of Big Cottonwood Creek at the Forest Service boundary indicates that water quality has remained stable, in support of applicable standards, since the mid-1970s and the inception of the Clean Water Act.