Project Details

The Emigration Watershed Restoration Project FY26 goal is to improve the overall health of Emigration Canyon, including improving the health of riparian areas, streams, wetlands and upland sites. To accomplish these goals, we have coordinated planning with many stakeholders, including government entities, and non-profit organizations.

There have been many negative human impacts on Emigration Canyon. Inadvertent noxious weed introductions such as myrtle spurge is a major concern. Decades of wildfire suppression have led to excess fuel biomass and unhealthy forests. Stream incision has led to sub-optimal habitat conditions for many fish and wildlife species.

The FY26 project will begin by treating Myrtle Spurge, monitoring for new weed invasions, building new BDAs, maintaining existing BDAs, and implementing fuel reduction.

Continued implementation of these restoration methodologies will help in mitigating some of the historic human impacts.

Weed Treatments- Monitoring and treatment of invasive weeds will ensure this ecosystem is sustainable for wildlife. This project will benefit mule deer, elk, moose, cottontail rabbits, ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, California Quail, Snowshoe Hares, Chukar, and many pollinator species such as the monarch butterfly by increasing open meadows and aspen stands.

Cut and Pile- Salt Lake County plans to begin a cut and pile treatment for fuel reduction and for a healthier forest. This will open up the canopy more and greatly increase the understory vegetation. This will help reduce the fire risk to nearby communities as well as benefit wildlife. Mule Deer, elk, moose, cottontail rabbits, little brown myotis bat, and many other raptor species will benefit from having more open meadow habitat. The meadow vegetation will provide more food as well as prey species for predators. Additionally, all of the above mentioned species will benefit from a reduced risk of a catastrophic wildfire by the removal of fuels.

Building BDAs helps to create fire breaks and mitigate the risk of a large catastrophic fire. BDAs structures also reduce total suspended sediment loads by slowing down water and capturing sediments behind the small structures. By promoting floodplain reconnection, these structures reduce nutrient loads from tributaries. By slowing flow velocities and increasing soil-water interaction, BDAs promote biotic uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus by microorganisms and plants along the riparian zone. Studies have shown that streams with in-tact riparian corridors remove more nitrogen than degraded, incised streams.

Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.

Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.

This project considers and connects previous fire mitigation work completed by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands (FFSL), completed in the North Salt Lake Watershed Restoration WRI project in 2023. Emigration Canyon is the only community rated a "10 - Extreme Risk" on the Communities At Risk (CARs) list in Salt Lake County.  Continued work is necessary to continue to reduce the fire risk and to improve the habitat.

1. Emigration Canyon restoration work will help to ensure the success of improving the health of Emigration's ecological systems.
   
2. Many wildlife species rely on healthy forests. The loss of habitat from noxious weed invasions poses a major threat that potentially lead to decreases in wildlife populations, including elk, moose, and mule deer, Managing noxious weed species (e.g.,myrtle spurge) before they have reached an ecological threshold and have out-competed native vegetation is essential to maintain ecosystem function. Once noxious weeds have reached an ecological threshold, control may be impossible.

3. Maintaining existing BDAs and building new BDAs is necessary to continue the improvement of the habitat increasing the health of riparian areas thus benefitting many species.

LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.

TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.

This project complies with guidance and addresses objectives outlined in the following management plans:

Wildlife Action Plan which addresses restoring and improving degraded wildlife habitat.
A. We will be improving the habitat and addressing threats in the key habitats by treating invasive and noxious weeds thereby allowing for native plants to regenerate.

Statewide Moose Management Plan which addresses:
A.  Achieving optimum populations of moose in all
suitable habitat;
B. Assuring sufficient habitat to sustain healthy and productive moose populations; and
C. Providing optimal opportunities for hunting and viewing of moose.

Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan which addresses:
A. Maintaining mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and
enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts; and
B. Improving the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer.

Statewide Elk Management Plan which addresses:
A. Increasing forage production.

Utah Administrative Code R68-9 (Utah's Noxious Weed Act); Utah Noxious Weed Act, which directs local governments to take the necessary steps to manage noxious weeds within their jurisdiction and provides specific authorization for local enforcement.

UDWR Strategic Management Plan which addresses:
A. Maintaining existing wildlife habitat and increasing the quality of critical habitat and watersheds throughout the state; 
B. Decreasing risks to species and their habitats through integrated implementation of the WAP; and
C. Increasing hunting opportunities.

Utah State and Salt Lake County Resource Management Plans have identified the preservation and enhancement of rivers and floodplains as important objectives to consider when planning projects. Additionally, wetlands and riparian areas have been identified as key resources to provide both environmental and economic benefits to Utah communities. Recreation has also been called out as essential to Utah's ecological and economic vitality into the future. This project addresses these RMP objectives and also will help to bring the community together around this resource.

Emigration Township Council is implemented a watershed action plan in 2022-2024. This plan described future activities for water quality improvement. In 2015,  Utah Department of Environmental Quality issued a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Emigration Creek, identifying Escherichia coli (E. coli) as pollutants and parameters of concern. UDEQ has set a goal of reducing the current loading of 2.18E12 #/day by 1.22E12 #/day (56%) to meet the Total maximum load as a daily average of less than 9.61E11 #/day.  Maximum water quality target of 668 MPN/100 ml and geometric mean 206 MPN/100 ml. BDA implementation activities undertaken during FY23, and associated monitoring will help inform the role off low-tech process-based restoration in other tributaries to Emigration Creek.

Utah's Wildlife Action plan: While beaver reintroduction is not part of the proposed project, BDAs mimic many of the functions of beaver and provide similar habitat benefits. Degraded riparian vegetation in tributaries to Emigration Canyon, while likely too small to host beavers,  benefit from BDAs.

Utah's Catastrophic Fire Reduction Strategy seeks to promote 1) resilient landscapes, 2) fire adapted communities, and 3) strong and effective local wildfire response. FFSL has identified Emigration Canyon as at extreme risk for catastrophic fire. The fuel thinning and BDA build activities associated with this project during FY23 address the first two goals within Emigration Canyon. Fuels mitigation activities proposed by FFSL will increase landscape resilience, as will the natural fire breaks provided by BDAs. FFSL also plans to work closely with the community to increase community fire adaptation by improving access for EMS and evacuation routes.

Salt Lake City is in the process of updating it's watershed management plan. The BDA projects in City Creek and Emigration, and subsequent monitoring will help inform the role of low-tech process based restoration in this plan, as partners at Salt Lake City Public Utilities develop it in the coming year.

List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.

If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.

Water quality:  A key objective of this proposal is to avoid large fires, which would damage water quality for decades. BDAs and fuels mitigation help to create fire breaks and mitigate the risk of a large catastrophic fire. BDAs structures also reduce total suspended sediment loads by slowing down water and capturing sediments behind the small structures. By promoting floodplain reconnection, these structures reduce nutrient loads from tributaries. By slowing flow velocities and increasing soil-water interaction, BDAs promote biotic uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus by microorganisms and plants along the riparian zone. Studies have shown that streams with in-tact riparian corridors remove more nitrogen than degraded, incised streams.

Water quantity:  BDAs improve in-stream flows in several ways. By slowing streamflow velocity during storms and snowmelt, BDAs accumulate sediment and promote physical reconnection between the flowing channel and floodplain vegetation and soils.  The reconnected floodplain provides natural water storage capacity within the channel. These new storage opportunities promote year-round flow in previously intermittent streams. Increased connectivity between stream water and floodplain soils lead to expansion of hydric vegetation.

Proposed fuels reduction work will improve water quantity by changing the vegetation class through thinning woody vegetation on slopes and riparian zones.

Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.

Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.

Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.

The project will be monitored for success in the short and long term and will be reported back to WRI. 
 
Salt Lake County is committed to collecting long-term water quality data. We will compare pre-treatment data to post-treatment.

Sageland Collaborative will monitor riparian habitat health following BDA installation in 2024 using the stream-riparian assessment (RSRA) survey protocols.

Wildlife Monitoring
Wildlife monitoring using trail cameras, acoustic monitors, and visual encounter surveys will be conducted by Utah's Hogle Zoo at priority survey sites (as determined by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) in Emigration Canyon. Fieldwork will occur April to August. Monitoring efforts aim to evaluate the impact of habitat changes before and after restoration initiatives, such as BDA installation. Camera monitoring focuses on medium and large wildlife species; acoustic monitoring focuses on bat and bird species; and amphibian monitoring focuses on the imperiled western (boreal) toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) and other amphibians. Pre- and post-restoration monitoring of wildlife communities and habitats help state agencies and managers evaluate the efficacy of restoration interventions and adapt management strategies accordingly. Additionally, data from amphibian surveys, which document presence/absence, breeding evidence, and habitat condition, contribute to recovery planning for the western toad in Utah, including identifying sites that may be suitable for repatriation. The amphibian-monitoring project is a continuation of a long-term partnership among Utah's Hogle Zoo, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, U.S. Forest Service, and Utah Geological Survey.

Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.

List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.

Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.

This project will greatly benefit recreational uses such as hunting and fishing by improving the habitat for fish and wildlife. Hunting is an activity that occurs near the canyon, given its proximity to Salt Lake City.

Water Resources
Low-tech process based stream restoration, including BDAs, has many benefits for water resources. BDAs reduce suspended sediment loading as they slow water velocity and hold back sediment from moving downstream. BDAs can also improve water quality by reconnecting the stream with its floodplain, which promotes microbial pollutant removal processes and physical filtration of water through floodplain soils. BDAs promote water storage in shallow soils and groundwater, which leads to sustained year-round streamflow.

Big game
BDAs promote expanded green vegetation along the stream channel, improving summer forage for mule deer and other big game animals. Removal of excess woody vegetation promotes growth of native herbaceous forage for mule deer.

Fire mitigation
Fuels reduction work proposed in this project supports the goal of mitigating large, catastrophic fires in extremely vulnerable areas. Emigration Canyon is home to nearly 2,000 people, and a large unmitigated fire would be life threatening to people in this community, in addition to property loss and ecological damage.  BDAs serve as natural fire breaks, by extending the time that water is held on the landscape and maintaining green vegetation throughout dry summer months. Recent studies have shown BDAs can reduce the severity of fires and provide refuge for wildlife.

Recreation
Located along the Wasatch Front, both City Creek and Emigration Canyons are heavily used by hikers, bird watchers, bikers and hunters.

It will also benefit the experience that mountain bikers, hikers, snowshoers, cross country, and downhill skiers will have by ensuring the area's resiliency to fire, weed infestation, and disease.

Wildlife forage availability will increase by reducing competitive weeds. All grazing benefits resulting from this project will be for wildlife.

A large part of Utah's economy is driven by recreation, and protecting this watershed will help preserve those sustainable uses and continue to support the economy.

Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.