Provo River restoration project detailed in Thursday event

PROVO — Another workshop in a larger setting has been scheduled on a proposal to relocate a section of the Provo River channel to the north to help in the recovery of an endangered fish.

A crowd of people representing business and recreation interests jammed a public meeting earlier this month and opponents had to be turned away. As a result, a second workshop on the Provo River Delta Restoration Project is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Lakeview Elementary, 2899 W. 1390 North.

Federal agencies are preparing a draft environmental impact statement that contemplates changes to the lower 1.5 miles of the Provo River where it meets Utah Lake. In this section, flows do not adequately support the habitat for the June sucker, which is under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Although the fish once  thrived in Utah lake, the fish's natural ecosystem has been altered over time and their numbers greatly reduced.

Should the river be relocated, the project team is looking for input related to what will be done with the existing channel area, such as the creation of recreational fishing ponds, wetlands or trails. Another option is to leave a small stream flow, such as 5 cubic feet per second.

Any future development of the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project — which supplies water needs to the Wasatch Front — hinges in large measure on the success of the June sucker recovery program.

Project leaders say the proposed Provo River Delta Restoration efforts addresses two of four required steps toward downgrading the imperiled status of the fish.

People who value the recreational aspects of Utah Lake and the river, however, have decried the project, saying it puts conservation of the fish ahead of the interests of residents' livelihoods.

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