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Show Volume XXIX Issue XI The Ogden Valley News Page 3 September 15, 2022 EVERGREENS cont. on page 1 moisture to a depth of about 20 inches. Soil moisture can be tested by pushing a long screwdriver or slim metal rod into the soil. The metal will easily penetrate moist soil, stopping when dry soil is reached. Deep watering of trees should be done once a week during hot summer months (July, August—and September 2022!) and less frequently in the cooler months. The amount of water it takes to deep irrigate to 20 inches will depend on your soil type (less water for sandy soils, more for clay soils). Experiment with watering times until your screwdriver test shows moisture to a depth of about 20 inches. Please note that irrigation at normal turf volumes is not usually adequate for tree irrigation. What can we expect at the park? The spruce trees at the park are getting older but the main issue there is soil compaction. People walking and driving over the root zones creates issues with water and nutrient movement, which stresses the trees. The town was recently awarded a large grant to plant new trees and we are experimenting with a new pesticide. Is there an effective pesticide? Historically, arborists have used Permethrin or Bifenthrin but both are highly problematic because the entire tree must be coated and timed with adult beetle flight, which changes year to year depending on temperatures. Ogden City is having good success with a new pesticide called Zylam, which is absorbed through the bark and stays in the phloem for 12 months. This approach is somewhat experimental because ips spruce beetle is not indicated as a target pest for Zylam. If the top of my spruce tree is turning brown, can the tree be saved? Spruce trees remain popular as Christmas trees because it takes several weeks for the needles to turn brown after the tree has been killed. By the time you notice the crown changing color, it is likely that the beetle larvae have already killed the entire tree. However, if the top of the tree turns brown in November or December and the lower part remains green through February, this means the larvae were halted by the cold. The top of the tree can be removed 8 feet below the kill line and the tree will eventually grow a new crown. This should be done before spring when average daytime temperatures reach 50 degrees. What should I do once I know a tree is infested and dying? If an active infestation is Guest Commentary A Bad Idea: Land Use Planning Without Proper Wet Water Planning At, left, tree killed by ips bark beetle. discovered in a tree, the tree should be removed immediately and treated to prevent further development and flight of the beetles. A common mistake is to cut down an infested tree and then stack infested logs under a nearby host tree. Removing a tree does not kill the beetles and they can still develop under the bark and emerge to attack more trees. Thus, disposal of a tree’s infested remains is critical. After cutting an infested tree there are multiple techniques for killing beetles: • Debarking: Remove all bark from the tree. • Insecticide Spray: Use a labeled insecticide to treat the tree prior to removal or apply to logs after removal. • Solarization: Cut logs intended for firewood use should be stacked in an area where they will receive full sunlight and are covered tightly with black plastic. • Suffocation: Logs can be buried under soil or submerged in water. • Chip: If no firewood is desired, cut logs can be chipped and used as mulch. In a history about Huntsville’s Town Square—today’s town park—compiled by Edna A. Melle in 1993, we read that three of the first pine trees in the park were planted in memory of three Huntsville men who served and were killed in World War I. They were David Jesperson, Lawrence Felt, and Frank Medell. In the spring of 1920, six-hundred evergreens were set out on the four corners of the square, indicating that the trees under infestation by the bark beetle today are over a hundred years old. Aerial view of historic Huntsville Town Square. By Janice Campbell We all have a share in the future of Ogden Valley. The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District contracted with Bowen & Collins in 2021 to provide a study of Ogden Valley’s water supply to “understand and document existing water resources and infrastructure in Ogden Valley in order to: • Project future water demand and supply • Identify alternative solutions to meet projected water needs • And develop a strategy for implementing the recommended solution.” Following the completion of the Ogden Valley Water Supply Study, Bowen Collins & Associates made three presentations of the study. One was for the Weber County Commissioners, presented July 18-19; another for the general public on July 23; and a third presentation for the Ogden Valley Planning Commission on August 23. There were differences in the recommendations and the interpretations of recommendations at the three meetings. The most difficult difference to understand is that in the presentation for the Weber County Commissioners, the recommendation of the study, under the “Implementation - Conclusions” portion of the study results included the following: “If the County does not wish to actively lead efforts to secure more water, significantly limit approval of additional development in the Ogden Valley.” The option of limiting future development because of water supply was not presented in the meetings to the public and to the Ogden Valley Planning Commission. In fact, at the August 23 meeting, the Ogden Valley Planning Commissioners and Weber County Commissioners discussed how water supply is not their decision. The Ogden Valley Planning Commission was told that decisions regarding water availability for development is the sole responsibility of the State of Utah Water Engineers. Further discussion in this meeting disclosed that water supply isn’t even part of development planning until a development reaches “platting” stage. Another difference in the three meetings regarded the recommendation of ending the drilling of new wells. At the meetings held July 18-19 and July 23, a Bowen & Collins representative stressed that new wells should not be drilled. At the August 23 meeting for the Ogden Valley Planning Commission, the recommendation was interpreted/rephrased to state that small wells are acceptable, but large well drilling should be ended. Why is the most crucial decision, that of water availability, not the first decision of development planning? And while reflecting on this, do not forget to consider that the studies and the data and the presentations of these studies are, by the terms of the service providers contracts with Weber County, completely controlled by Weber County. The Master Plan for the Ogden Valley community was updated in 2016. This was before the publication in 2019 by the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Special Study 165 by the Utah Geological Survey. Special Study 165 was a “characterization of the groundwater system in Ogden Valley, Weber County, Utah, with emphasis on groundwater-surface-water interaction and the groundwater budget.” The study’s water budget was for the period between 2004 and 2016. This report is about measurable, quantifiable wet water of the Ogden Valley system… all the inflows and the outflows of real water. The overall conclusion of the Utah Geological Survey is that in the period of the water budget, all sources and outflows of the Ogden Valley watershed stood at a balance of approximately 67,000-acre feet per year. And here we are, just a few years later, with numerous landowners and developers waiting to receive “will serve” notices for their projects. How much development has been created since 2016, where we have continued to stress limited wet water resources? In my concern regarding Ogden Valley’s water supply, I have spoken with several parties who have a mandate to oversee the state’s water management: • Utah Dept. of Natural Resources • Utah Division of Water Resources • Utah Division of Water Quality • Utah Division of Water Rights • Utah Geological Survey Office • Weber Basin Water Conservancy District • Bowen & Collins, hired by Weber Basin Gary Brimley, Regional Engineer with the Utah Division of Water Rights, recently wrote, “The State Engineer desires to limit overall groundwater withdrawals to safe yield, protect the physical integrity of aquifers, and protect water quality.” My criticism of current county development practices is their push for development while ignoring today’s unresolved water supply concerns, and their lack of willingness to look at the bigger picture of a sustainable community that fits with the narrative of the general plan and the desires of the community. Rather than plan to increase the water supply in Ogden Valley, we should first complete what has not been done regarding efficiency and conservation of our existing water infrastructure and usage practices. Ogden Valley’s water companies’ infrastructure should be brought up to efficiency and safety regulatory standards appropriate for the year 2022. In addition, all wells should be monitored to verify the water table’s stability while also ensuring legal water right allocation. Why should we move to create new infrastructure and import water when we know that existing infrastructure is not sufficient to supply currently approved and existing development, including mandated fire safety standards? I believe the decision of Weber County to place water verification late in the development and planning process—documentation of having an actual supply of wet water on a sustainable basis—should be rescinded and moved to the forefront. In addition, questions about availability of real wet water should be resolved apart from the influence and pressures of invested parties in the development process, in which the county should not be the lead negotiator. TWO DAYS ONLY Friday, September 16, 2022 Saturday, September 17, 2022 |
