Eighty percent of the Salt Lake City water supply is from surface water sources. With a 195 square mile watershed snuggled up against the City, the 400,000 residents have a magnificent playground right in their back yard. This watershed is the heaviest used National Forest in the country, with more annual visitors than Yellowstone Park. We can boast of four-world class ski resorts bringing economic benefit to the citizens of the valley and numerous visitors on a daily basis throughout the winter months. The hiking, biking, rock climbing and fishing in the canyons keep visitors coming year round.

So what have been the consequences of the activities in the canyons? In the early 1900’s, the area was used heavily for silver, gold and lead mining. The mountains were littered with mining operations. The cattle and sheep herds that made the West famous were run through the Wasatch Front. Quarrying and timber industries stripped the mountains of their glory. But the community leaders always recognized the importance of the streams in maintaining the health and prosperity of the community. In 1851, Brigham Young declared it unlawful to take cattle through the waters of City Creek, the City’s main supply of drinking water.

In 1913, Salt Lake City petitioned the federal government to designate the primary purpose of the mountains as water supply. Public Law 199 removed the federal lands from mineral location and surface disposal. Furthermore, the Secretary of Agriculture was directed to administer the lands, in coordination with the City, with the primary objective being the protection of water quality. In 1934, the federal government was again approached to add the same protection to the southern canyons. In that legislation, PL259, future mining rights were outlawed, and reserved the surface estate to the United States. In 1989, President George Bush signed legislation reconfirming these acts.

Today we are faced with new challenges, not from mining, cattle grazing, or timbering. Today we are faced with the most insidious enemy, ourselves. In this modern day, we find people totally unaware of the source of their water. Most never even consider it. Our children don’t understand its significance, and they have no idea of its critical nature. They don’t protect it, they don’t even recognize its existence. People argue over water rights and raise concerns over dry creek beds, but never consider that the water at their tap originates there. 

In 1988, Salt Lake City developed a Watershed Master Plan. There were issues then that the plan addressed, and in many cases the plan helped improve things. Now, 10 years later we are faced with different problems. The population of the valley has grown, the use of the canyons has increased, the identification of waterborne human pathogens continues, and the demand for safe water continues to grow. And everyone’s budget is very tight! Now not only do we need to approach new problems, but we need to find new monies to do it with. Like most organizations, Salt Lake City has cut budgets, reduced staff size and taken on more work than ever before. However, at some point there are no extra funds! How do we continue with the programs and protect our watersheds without funding? We form partnerships.

What are partnerships? A partnership is a cooperative alliance between entities striving for the same goal. Many agencies’ objectives overlap, and the accomplishment of those objectives becomes much more productive and beneficial if the goal is approached jointly.

Partnerships as a whole have developed all over the country. Private, public and governmental groups have come together to accomplish their goals. There are partnerships for numerous causes; air quality, health, waste reduction, education, marketing and of course environmental protection, among the many. The idea of partnering, all groups working toward a common goal, makes great sense. Costs are controlled, limited budgets are stretched to meet the need, and great things can happen!

A partnership between Starbucks Coffee and their container manufacturer was spurred by a desire to cut packaging waste generated by the national firm. The island of Maui, recognizing the importance of their watershed, formed a public/private partnership to preserve the area.

Over the years, Salt Lake City partnerships with other governmental agencies have been very effective. In 1990, Salt Lake City formed a partnership with the Sheriff’s Department for the enforcement of watershed regulations. With both agencies committed to this effort, the benefits were obvious. The Sheriff’s Department was undersized and ill equipped for the rigors of law enforcement in the canyon areas, the City’s personnel were not police officers. The City staff was committed to educating the canyon users to the effects that they had on the watershed environment, and ticketing the users would hamper their purpose. The Sheriff’s Department was committed to enforcing regulations in the canyons, but was only equipped for City streets. Through a cooperative partnership, the City provided the tools, both funding for staff and equipment, and earned itself the police coverage necessary in the canyons. This partnership has been very effective and is ongoing.

The Forest Service and the City are partners in regulating the Wasatch Front. They are aware that every change in our canyons produces an effect. Over the years, rules have been developed for development, erosion control, revegetation, and building site grade and construction materials. Now in an attempt to maintain our front, each agency reinforces those regulations equally, avoiding the "he said" arguments that could undermine the purpose.

Water Resources, dedicated to the education of our school children, has cooperatively worked with the City to further their mission. Partnering with Water Resources, the City has enhanced the water education programs, which again is a primary objective for the City.

State Wildlife Resources has also found a partner in Salt Lake City. In an attempt to prevent the endangered species listing of the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, the City partnered with Trout Unlimited and the State Wildlife Resources, providing information on the location of the species in the front and providing fish hatchery facilities to help establish a reasonable population. We didn’t stop there, the City has partnered with Trout Unlimited in grant programs to do bank stabilization and improve habitat for the Bonneville Cutthroat.

Owning your watershed is the easiest way to protect it. While the 1988 Watershed Master Plan established a fund for watershed land purchases, the 1999 plan increases the funding. However, as our community grows, the value of watershed property increases. To help avoid the problems inherent with City purchase policies, purchasing at appraised land value, the City has partnered with groups like Friends of Alta and Utah Reclamation and Mitigation Commission to cooperatively purchase watershed property and put it into public ownership. Foremost in these partnerships are agreements that the land will remain in perpetuity in public ownership and will not be sold or traded.

Under the new Watershed Master Plan, the education of our community is paramount. The fact that people are unaware of their watershed emphasizes the need to increase our educational outreach. Education is a keyword in the programs developed by the Forest Service and our watershed partners, the ski resorts. We are currently looking at a much bigger partnership for education with the major governmental and private organizations in the valley. This partnershipping effort has all the signs of being a great success.

Watershed management is critical to our continued prosperity in the Salt Lake Valley. We aren’t back at the stage where our mountains are treeless and water contaminated, but we are challenged by changes, as higher numbers of people impact our watershed’s survival.

Partnerships are only as strong and effective as the commitment the members make to meet the challenge. Every one of the people in this room is involved in water quality, where we can come together with equal zeal to reach a goal, we should be forming partnerships. Our future successes will be measured not only in what is done, but also in how effectively we reach the goal. Our success will be weighed against its cost. With pooled resources and mutual goals, partnerships can help all parties economically reach their objective.

Question regarding this paper can be sent to: florence.reynolds@ci.slc.ut.us