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Show April 15, 2005 nn —_— = IN — PSTD. EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN -LIBE! RTY~84310 NRCS Completes Report Documenting Stream Conditions inn Ogden Walley Civiiilied by ‘Sistine Ogden Francis Valley News Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), at the request of the Ogden Valley nailed Steering Committee, recently completeda report documenting resource concerns and baseline conditions of streams within the upper Ogden Valley. The focus of the inventory effort was on the South Fork and Middle Fork and North Fork of the Ogden River located in the upper Ogden Valley. While there was interest by the committee regarding the condition of the lower North Fork River on the Liberty side of the Valley, degradation is so severe there that a detailed inventory was not merited according to NRCS. For the report, several agencies and individuals assisted ith 1 input on stream conditions including NRCS, Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, Lower Weber River Watershed Coordinator, Upper Weber River Watershed Coordinator, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and private landowners from Ogden Valley. A brief summary from the report follows. For a complete electronic copy of the report, contact NRCS’s Ogden office at 629-0508. Photo courtesy of Shanna View from Snowbasin, a Sun Francis/OGDEN VALLEY NEws Valley Resort Funding Approved for Improvements on Highway Over Pineview Dam $2.1 Million Appropriated By Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News Congressional Representative Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has announced the authorization and funding by the federal government of 2.1 million dollars to pay for the design and environmental assessment under NEPA guidelines ad improvements over Pineview Dam. Concerns about the road over the dam were initially generated after a group of individuals from Ogden Valley sought a solution to safety and aesthetic concerns associated with the recent construction of the ten-foot concrete retaining wall built by the Bureau of Reclamation on the west side of the highway. Bureau of Reclamation officials claim that the wall was necessary to bring the dam up to current seismic safety standards under the Safety of Dams Act. Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) spokesman and Region I Director Cory Pope stated that now funding has been approved, UDOT will be able to move ahead with the project, though it could be several — construction on the project actually begi ‘he first step is an amendment to UDOT?’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which has to be made to incorporate the aaa into UDOT’s long range fundingp A motion to change and approve ne sendmen to the Program has to be made by the UDOT Commission. If the change is as there is a 30 day comment period to allow for public input. Pope also says that, rather than amending the STIP plan, UDOT may wait until the annual STIP five year planning meeting held in October at which time the project could be incorporated as part of the five year long term plan. Once UDOT approves to proceed with the ee the proposed action then, by federal law, has to undergo an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). According to Pope, this public process could take anywhere from 18 months to three years to comp lete. Once a project action is eteonined under NEPA guidelines, which determines the purpose and need for the action, UDOT would then develop a plan design. Additional funding for implementation of the plan, or construction of the actual project, then would need to be generated, again, primarily from federal funds. According to UDOT Regional Director Ahmad Jaber, by today’s engineering stan- Annual Ogden Canyon Cleanup Slated Residents urged to participate By Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News On April 23, in conjunction with Earth Day, The Ogden Canyon Club and Friends of the Ogden River will be hosting the annual Ogden Canyon Cleanup. Paul Burnett with has been working with the Ogden Canyon club; together they were originally planning to work with fishing groups to help clean debris from the river before it washed downstream, but with this year’s deep snow- FOR THE PRESERVATION & RESTORATION OF OGDEN CANYON dards, the short section of road crossing the dam fails the test for safety. An onsite tour of the dam by Congressman Rob Bishop and representatives from U.S. Senators Hatch and Bennett’s office in August o 2003 led to an agreement that something needed to be done about the road. After a tour of the site, suggested improvements to the road included a realignment of the road approaching the dam from the Eden side, possibly raising it to mitigate the effects of the cement wall, and placing the stop sign on Highway 39 on the Huntsville side, allowing for the free flow of traffic over the top of the dam before proceeding down Ogden Canyon. Summary of Conditions Found on the South Fork of the Ogden River The South Fork Ogden River is the primary source of surface water in Ogden Valley contributing 73 percent of the total flow. The headwaters are mainly owned by the U.S. Forest Service, while the lower portion from the mouth of the canyon to Pineview Reservoir is largely in private ownership. Stream flow in the South Fork are highly regulated during irrigation season (April 15 to October 15). The Weber Basin Water Conservancy district controls a major irrigation diversion on the South Fork that delivers water to four man irrigation conveyance systems. Water is first stored in Causey Reservoir, situated high in the water shed on South Fork, and then delivered along with natural stream flows to supply these irri igation systems. Inspection of the river show, in general, stream health and channel conditions as severely raded in reaches that were immediately downstream of the diversion dam, characterized NRCS cont. on page 8 To the Citizens and Stakeholders of the Ogden Valley The public is invited to attend a public open house where a draft of the Recreation Element of the Ogden Valley General Plan will be presented, and public comments will be gathered. This meeting follows workshops held late last year where participants defined recreation growth and explored appropriate growth strategies to address the opportunities and challenges associated with recreational development. This input has been considered by a stakeholder’s committee and consultants and included in the draft plan. The OGDEN VALLEY News highlighted a visual preference survey of recreation related growth and development that was hosted on Envision Utah’s website and at the Ogden Valley Library. The results of this survey revealed strong support for the preservation of rural open lands and wildlife habitat while RECREATION PLAN cont. on page 2 pack and high water levels in the river, cleanup efforts will focus on the parameters of the river and Ogden Canyon. Community volunteers of all ages are needed to participate in this spring cleanup event. Every year, tons of trash and debris is deposited in the canyon; please plan to attend with friends and family. Volunteers are to meet at sg Alaskan Inn in Ogden Canyon at 9:00a.m. to receive trash bags and assignments. “Latah will be offered at noon outside The Oaks Restaurant. Earth Day is April 22. Because events and celebrations usually take place on a weekend, Earth Day is often observed on the weekend before or after April 22. Many communities across America will be celebrating with a series of environmental activities in April. Letters to the Editor... Announcements.... Historical Article.... Calendar of Events .. Classifieds......... Page Page Page Page Page 2 6 9 14 15 Photo courtesy of Envision Recreation Development and Rural Open Space? An aerial view of Ogden Valley. Utah |