Over the last few years, the number of phone calls DWR (LE and to aquatics staff) about issues at Big Sandwash Reservoir, has increased. These mainly come from Moon Lake Water Users Association (MLWUA), the landowner around the reservoir and the primary water rights holder, and from the private landowners around the reservoir who see everything that happens day-to-day. Issues reported include littering (including human waste), trespassing, poor parking (people blocking others due to lack of striping), and off-roading everywhere. In addition, although no overnight camping is allowed and the area is signed as such, the reservoir has become a party location and revelers will party long into the night (though they don't spend the night). Excessive drinking and drug use (evidence has been found) occur during these parties, which could be associated with a whole additional group of problems. The private landowners have been instructed to call central dispatch when they have issues occurring in real time. However, the agreements between the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and MLWUA have the UDWR as the party responsible for managing recreation at the waterbody, including upkeep of the facilities and dealing with issues. To that end, the UDWR (admin, aquatics, LE) met with the private landowners and the county, identified issues, and developed a plan for addressing those issues. The items in this proposal come directly from that plan.

The objectives of this project are to: 1. Reduce (or eliminate where feasible) the amount of disruptive behavior displayed by some Big Sandwash users (e.g., littering, partying into the night, drug use). 2. Improve the experience for all anglers and recreationalists, especially those who are following rules and obeying laws.

If we do not address this issue now, it will not get better. It's not necessarily an ecological risk (although the increasing amounts of litter and human waste will certainly impact water quality and will impact individuals within the fishery as fish eat anything including trash), but there is a risk of the conflicts and problems snow-balling out of control. In the few years that I've been receiving complaints, the issue has gone from mainly partying and drinking to drug use, which I would consider an escalation of the issue. The trash has increased as has the human waste. We do provide trash cans in the vault toilets at the two improved angler access points, but given that most people choose to "go" elsewhere, these facilities either weren't adequately located for the highest usage or they're just aren't enough facilities given the increase in usage.

Our goal for the Big Sandwash Reservoir is to manage it as a family-oriented fishery while protecting other reservoirs within the Uintah Basin (protect other waters from escapement of BSW fish out of the reservoir). This project is right in line with the goal of a family-oriented fishery. By keeping users to just those recreating at the reservoir, and moving the partying elsewhere, we should hopefully be able to keep the area family-friendly. This project also helps us meet Goal #5 in our management plan: work with the surrounding community and local anglers to address concerns and interests at this fishery and improve angler access. Within this goal, we identified the following strategies: -- Involve private and public landowners around the reservoir to find ways to improve current angler access points and come up with alternate ideas for access. -- Involve Moon Lake Water Users Association and private land owners to develop signage that could be placed on both public and private property to address littering, trespassing and other issues. -- Work with private land owners, UDWR, Moon Lake and the local community to organize a local Big Sandwash Lake Clean-up day or days. In addition, the components identified in this proposal are all taken directly from the new Recreation Management Plan, which we developed with input from DWR aquatics, DWR leadership, DWR LE, Duchesne County, and private landowners.

As part of the new signage, we will no longer allow campfires... ever. We also discussed eliminating recreational target shooting but this is up to the land owner so may not be included. If it were included in this effort, it would help reduce the risk of wildfire.

This project will improve water quality over the long run by reducing the amount of trash and human waste in the reservoir. Because it is an irrigation reservoir, it is drawndown extensively over the course of the summer and into the fall. As the reservoir is drawn down, people have to go further down to reach the water and they end up depositing their waste nearer to the low water shoreline. Of course, when the reservoir refills over winter, the waste is now under water and additional nutrients and trash are now present in the reservoir. Some trash just gets pushed to the reservoir edges, but much of it is just covered by water. Certainly all of the nutrient deposition by Homo sapiens are just covered by water and incorporated into this waterbody. Excess nutrients can lead to excess vegetation which can lead to overwinter fish kills. Given the massive fluctuations at this water, excess nutrients are more likely to cause algal blooms than be incorporated into submerged vegetation.

Only an arch survey is required (for the fencing). No activities will be done in wetland areas, only in upland areas so no 404 or 401 permitting is required. NEPA is not required either as there is no federal partner. The parking area we are proposing to pave and stripe is already there, we would just be covering the gravel with a different surface. Duchesne County will eventually improve the access road going into the reservoir on the southeast side, which is not part of this proposal. We will fence along that road once developed and the mid-reservoir access road as well, in an effort to reduce trespass issues and the amount of user-created roads in the area.

All items are included in the recreation management plan (attached to this proposal under Image/Documents). Main entrance/boat ramp -- The road into Big Sandwash will be double chip sealed (Year 1 pending funding). We have requested 75% of the funding for this component from Motorboat Access. The funding request from HC/BR is 25% of the estimated cost. The parking area up top will be double chip sealed and striped for both trucks/trailers and single vehicles (Year 1 pending funding). Striping the parking lot should help direct trucks with trailers when parking and help eliminate parking issues. A 4-yard dumpster will be placed at the top of the ramp (Year 1), and the road behind the vault toilet will be fenced off to prevent public access (Year 1). A gate will be installed across that road in case there is ever need for official access to the area. We will also place a sign at the boat ramp with the "rules" for the reservoir (see Appendix in recreation plan attachment). East side access (southern end) -- Duchesne County will improve this access road (widen it and put down road base; Year 2 or 3, depending on when they have other projects in the area). The road initially goes to the east side of the dam, then continues to a point. They will improve the entire length of this road. After the road is improved, we will fence it (Year 2 or 3). Fencing would be welded pipe on both sides to prevent the public from using any alternate routes and to keep them away from private property. We will fence off a parking area at the end of the first segment of road that ends at the east side of the dam (Year 2). Trash cans will be placed and will be chained to the fencing (Year 2). These will be emptied bimonthly, weekly if needed during the summer. The entrance will be signed to let the public know they are entering a public access location, that they should respect private property, and that 4WD and/or high clearance may be required (Year 1). The parking areas will also be signed with the "Rules" (Appendix in recreation management plan; Year 1). This initial parking area is commonly used by non-anglers for basic recreation such as sun-bathing, picnicking, etc. Because the shoreline is muddy and the reservoir is drawn down so quickly during the season, we will bring in sand and create a beach at this area extending halfway down the shoreline to ensure that it is usable through Labor Day. The point at the end of the road is the "party area." This will have a fenced parking area as well. The designated parking area will allow space for ~12 cars. Once the county improves the road to this location, we will install a single vault toilet and a 3-yd dumpster (fencing and trash cans Year 2; toilet and dumpster Year 3). These facilities will be added to the seasonal maintenance schedule. The county has said they will incorporate the road improvements when they are working in the area on another project so we aren't sure of the timeline but are estimating 1-2 years. East side access (mid-reservoir; Year 1) -- Similar to the previous area, this access will be signed at the entrance to let the public know they are entering a public access location, that they should respect private property, and that 4WD and/or high clearance may be required. The route will be fenced (welded pipe) on the uphill side only (fencing on the reservoir side is not necessary) and will be fenced just past the last private entrance. Trash cans will be provided at the end of the fencing, although because the entire point is a loop with numerous parking locations, we will not fence off a designated parking area here. It should also be noted that the North route was actually re-routed by the adjacent landowner to try to eliminate conflict. More re-routing of the road may need to be done to keep the entire access road off of the landowner's property.

We will monitor these efforts two ways: 1. through the use of the Fish Planner, and 2. through discussions with all of the partners, including the private landowners as they are the folks on the ground that see the worst of the issues. Through the Fish Planner, anglers have the ability to rate a water and provide feedback from their fishing trip. The water rating shows up on the map, but there is additional information they can provide directly to the DWR. This information will be used to monitor angler's experiences at the reservoir. We will use discussions with the private landowners to gage how well each specific prescription is working...do they pick up less trash around the reservoir, do they see less human waste around the reservoir, have we eliminated visitations after sundown to the east-side access points?

For this effort, I am partnering with MLWUA, Duchesne County, and private landowners around Big Sandwash Reservoir. In addition, this is an effort between DWR LE and DWR aquatics.

Because we are proposing to add a bathroom facility and trash receptacles, we will have to add these facilities into our maintenance rotation. We will ask our current bathroom cleaner to clean one more vault and remove trash from cans located at three more sites. We will also have a dumpster at the boat ramp that will have to be emptied regularly for 6 months out of the year (this time period could be extended if needed and if additional funding can be found). Chip sealing and striping the parking area will also require additional maintenance in the future. The improved access on the east side will require road maintenance which the county will take on; the DWR will monitor the fencing at this location and at the unimproved access into the future and make any repairs needed.

This project is 100% about improving the quality of recreational use at Big Sandwash Reservoir. By reducing (I wish we could eliminate) litter and human waste, and by directing traffic better, we hope to improve the experience of everyone that uses the area.

07/01/2021

06/30/2023

2023

Signs: I worked externally and internally to develop the wording for the "rules" sign. The final proposed wording was submitted to Outreach so they could make it look nice. Funding ran out so the signs will be printed if the next phase of this project is funded in FY23. Signs were printed and installed in obvious locations around the reservoir. The sign at the boat ramp has already been replaced once due to wind damage. Paving: Because the project is over $100k and is an infrastructure project, DFCM has to be involved. They hired an engineer and we met onsite to discuss the project. We currently have a 90% design reviewed and approved by DWR and by Dam Safety, Water Rights, and Moon Lake Water Users Association (MLWUA). We will have to get the plan re-approved by Dam Safety before moving forward to paving, but it should just be a formality. Fencing: The fencelines for the dam area and the north access were walked/laid out early in fiscal year '22. The archeologist walked each of the lines and submitted the info to SHPO. Arch clearance was given in September 2021. The project was put out to purchasing in in November and a contractor hired in December. The contractor installed the posts at both locations first, that took about a month. Next he installed the succor rod and then finally the gates. The fenceline looks great and there were no issues to be resolved once he was done. Fencing was completed around the beginning of March. Chip seal: The project went to Purchasing on July 7 and was finally awarded to CKC in early September. They had to postpone the project til the end of Sept but then the weather turned. They ended up with a window of warmer, rain-free weather on 10/10 and were able to get the chip seal done then. The final oil flush was done the following week. $24k of this project was paid for with Motorboat Access funds. This part of the project is now complete. Duchesne County road work: Duchesne County was able to get the SE road improved to the dam and then all the way to the point. The did this in late March using road base and gravel. The road looks great and is all ready for our fencing to keep people out of the non-improved areas. Bathroom move: Motorboat Access paid for the actual bathroom move; however, this budget paid for surveying of the area as it was extremely important that the bathroom be situated in the exact correct location since we will be paving around it according to plans. In addition, this budget paid for material and delivery for refilling the hole left by the bathroom once it was moved. This budget also paid for material to backfill around the bathroom in its new location.

--Signs: I worked with BSW working group, LE and the AG reps to develop and hone language to put on the signs. There will be two different signs (one for the boat ramp, one for the walk in access areas which will be placed at all east side access points). The language was submitted to Outreach for development of the sign in early September. They of course did a great job with it. In FY 23 we ordered the signs and installed them around the reservoir in all locations previously identified as being necessary. We have already replaced the sign by the boat ramp as it was damaged due to the force of winds and it not being on two posts. When we replaced it, we put up two posts to add extra support. --I met with DFCM and their engineer (Hansen) onsite at the dam on August 26th. We discussed the goals and objectives, viewed the site, etc. I mentioned this project to Dam Safety and the regional water engineer since it is located on top of a dam. Their input was submitted to the engineer. A very rough design was provided in early October and sent to Moon Lake Water Users, Dam Safety, the regional engineer, and our reservoir biologist for their input. I also took a boat trailer and tried out the pavement design to see if most boat owners could maneuver and negotiate the striping and parking area. It is an odd shaped area and will be difficult, but we will add directions to the signage and hopefully that will help. The engineer also provided a cost estimate and between that and DFCM's cost for managing the project and paying the engineer, I will need about $100k more than what I was allocated this FY. Therefore, we will continue the engineering and will request motorboat access funds for FY24 and then again for FY25. The plan is completely final as of 1/22/2024 and has been approved by Dam Safety. That approval only lasts one year, however, so we will have them recertify the plans in advance of the paving project (slated for July 2024 assuming we are awarded MBA funds and HC funds). --Because the new fences were welded pipe and it was such a dry year into the fall, I postponed installation of these until the late fall. Our archeologist did come out in July and walked the entire fenceline with me. He found that the area was so impacted, there was no issues with archeology. The fencing project was put out to bid in late fall and we selected Justin Weaver's company, who was really amazing to work with. He started right away and got the fencing done completely within the time frame he proposed (he was done by early March with no issues that needed to be resolved). He did a great job of laying out the fenceline below the dam and following the north fenceline to a 't' even with the hard rock that some of the posts had to go in. We felt following the fenceline exactly was the best way to reduce confusion in the future. And finally, the user created road went across private property for a small section and this area needed to be re-routed so that it stayed on MLWUA property. I purchased a culvert for this work and the private landowner did this work himself. That was completed in August 2021. Pictures are attached. Once the fence went in, we had a little more work to do here -- I had a load of road base and a load of gravel delivered and the contractor placed these materials to widen the road after the turn. The road is passable now but larger vehicles likely have to do a multi-point turn to get through there. --The chip seal project was given to purchasing on July 7th and it took til early September to award the project as it is really difficult to develop a chip seal scope of work when you really don't have any idea what you're doing. We finally awarded it though and the road going in to the dam was graded on October 2nd, chip sealed on October 10th, and flushed with the last coat of oil on October 13th. This is pretty late in the season to get this done; however, CKC (the contractor awarded the project) kept an eye on the weather and temperatures and selected a day without rain and with temperatures above 50 degrees. Pictures are included. --This budget did carry over and assist our Motorboat Access funds with moving the bathroom from the base of the dam to on top of them dam. The funds were used for material, which KW Trucking delivered to the site, for backfilling the hole left by the bathroom and for backfilling around the bathroom in its new location. We had ample material and anything remaining was just worked into the parking lot. The area was also surveyed by an engineer so that we knew the bathroom was going in the exact location identified in the engineered plans.

--Signs -- we will keep an eye on signs and replace them as needed. We have already replaced one of them. --Parking lot -- DFCM will help with the routine maintenance of this aspect of the project and will fill in cracks as needed (we just need to let them know when it needs work) (once we get this going, which at this point won't be until FY25 at the earliest and with motorboat access funds). --Fencing -- Because it is welded pipe, it should hold up well but we will drive/walk the fencelines every year and keep an eye out for maintenance needs, repairing things as we see them. We also have one more area to fence and will need to lay out the fenceline before the contractor is hired and then will have to maintain this one as well. But again, it shouldn't require too much maintenance as it is sturdy and will take a lot for someone to damage it. --Chip seal -- this will have to be flushed every other year and redone in 4 years as they were pretty skimpy on the road base and fill when the road was initially built. It will not need any more road base, it will just need another 1/2" of chips most likely, which will need to be chip sealed again. We will keep an eye on the road though for sure and see how it performs. If another chip seal is unnecessary, then we'll just continue to flush it every other year to extend the life of the road. --The bathroom will continue to be maintained as before with bimonthly cleaning during the main fishing season, the dumpster and trash cans for 6 months of the year, and pumping on an annual or every other year basis, depending on need.