Over the last few years, the number of phone calls DWR staff (both LE and aquatics) have received about issues at Big Sand Wash Reservoir, has increased. These mainly come from Moon Lake Water Users Association (MLWUA), the primary landowner and water right holder around the reservoir, 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, especially on the east side, leading to trespassing. 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 usually 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 (attached to this proposal under "Documents").

The objectives of this project are to: 1. Reduce (or eliminate where feasible) the amount of disruptive behavior displayed by some Big Sand Wash 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, it will not likely get better on its own. It's not necessarily an ecological risk (although the increasing amounts of litter and human waste will certainly impact water quality and will impact the fishery as fish eat anything including trash), but there is a risk of the conflicts and problems snow-balling. 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 and a dumpster at the boat ramp over the spring and summer, 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 Big Sand Wash 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. The components identified in this proposal are all taken directly from the Recreation Management Plan, which we developed with input from DWR aquatics, DWR leadership, DWR LE, Duchesne County, MLWUA, and private landowners. All parties are committed to the plan, including DWR and Duchesne County who have the biggest responsibilities for implementing the plan. And in fact, may pieces of the plan have already been implemented. We have fenced one of the access locations on the east side, significantly reducing trespass around that access point. We have designed and placed signs at all access locations around the reservoir that clearly identify rules of conduct and ettiquette. We have added a dumpster to the boat ramp area for 6 months each year, spanning the spring and summer. And we have already moved the bathroom from the base of the dam on top of the dam, and we have seen usage increase to the point that we have had to add additional TP holders in the women's vault.

As part of the new signage, we will no longer allow campfires. We also discussed eliminating recreational target shooting; however, since shooting is already regulated under Utah state law, we have decided to simply post the law as most accessible areas around the reservoir are within 600 ft of a structure (in which case shooting would already not be allowed).

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 drawn down 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. Then 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 or severe algae blooms that come with their own suite of problems for the fishery. Because we have already seen increased usage of the bathroom since it has been moved on top of the dam in just this first season, we are hopeful that the risk of significant water quality issues has been reduced; however, we may have to add one additional bathroom in the long run.

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 (as is the access road we will be resealing), we would just be covering the gravel with a different surface. We have sent the paving plans to Dam Safety for their review and approval and will do this again as a courtesy before starting the project.

All items are included in the recreation management plan (attached to this proposal under Image/Documents). Main entrance/boat ramp -- The parking area on top of the dam will be paved with asphalt and striped. We have worked with DFCM and Hansen and Associates on this in FY21, 22, and 23. Hansen completed the striping design and parking layout in June 2023 after review by all parties including DWR, MLWUA, Dam Safety, & Water Rights. DFCM will select a contractor in May or June 2024 so that if awarded funding, we can begin paving the parking lot at the start of the new fiscal year. The parking lot will have about 10 spaces for single vehicles and will have 14 spaces for trucks/trailers. It is a weirdly shaped area so we'll do the best we can to make parking easy for everyone. Striping the parking lot should help direct trucks with trailers when parking and help eliminate parking issues. We may add signage to aid with traffic flow and control. We will also chip seal the road in to the dam again. When we did this two years ago, the contractor recommended doing part of it again to build up the road further. This will increase the life expectancy of the road so that the chip seal will last longer with minimal maintenance. We will continue to place a dumpster (3-yard) at the top of the ramp and will have it emptied once a month during the shoulder seasons and twice a month through the summer. East side access (southern end) -- Duchesne County has improved this access road with road base and gravel). The road goes to the east side of the dam, then continues to a point. They improved the entire length of this road. We have funds in FY24 to complete the fencing using welded pipe and installing 3 access gates so that MLWUA has access to all closed off locations and our LE can still access lookout points. The point parking area will not be fenced; however Duchesne County has agreed to place large boulders to keep vehicles contained within that parking area. This point is a major party location and we are hoping that by limiting the number of vehicles that can be parked in this area, we will discourage partying at these locations. Fencing will also help keep people on MLWUA's property and off of private property which has been a big issue. Trash cans will be placed and secured and will be emptied regularly throughout the year. The southernmost eastside parking area is commonly used by non-anglers for basic recreation such as sun-bathing, picnicking, etc. In the future, because the shoreline is muddy and the reservoir is drawn down so quickly during the season, we would like to bring in sand and create a beach at this area extending down the shoreline to ensure that it is usable through Labor Day. We may also look into installing a single vault toilet and a trash can inside the facility in a future year. These facilities will be added to the seasonal maintenance schedule.

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 anglers' 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? This information will be used to determine any future prescriptions required.

For this effort, I am partnering with MLWUA, Duchesne County, and private landowners around Big Sand Wash Reservoir. In addition, this is an effort between DWR LE and DWR aquatics. We will also have Dam Safety and Water Rights review all plans that include the dam (paving the parking lot and moving the bathroom to on top of the dam).

Because we are proposing to eventually 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). Paving and striping the parking area will also require additional maintenance in the future (filling in cracks as they occur over the years). 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; however, with pipe fencing, maintenance should be minimal. Signs will be monitored and replaced as needed (we are already replacing the sign on the boat ramp due to wind damage). And finally, any unforeseen future issues will be addressed in the most suitable format, depending on the issue.

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