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Show Boat harbor to suffer overuse, underwater The only boat harbor left that will be able to provide access to Utah Lake for a projected 30,000 boats over the coming summer season is also suffering daily abuse from rising waters abuse that other harbors around Utah Lake have suffered to a degree that has disqualified them as viable boat launch sites at least for this year. But before Lindon city can do anything to stop the erosion of the boat harbor in west Lindon, they must await approval of their lease application on the property from Utah State Land Board, owners of the marina. Orem recently relinquished their lease on the old Orem boat harbor and Lindon is seeking to take it up and maintain the harbor as a public recreation spot. However, while the city's reparative hands remain tied until the lease is approved, the land dike is slowly sinking beneath the rising waves. Buss Whitaker, Utah Valley Travel Council, recognizing the urgency of the problem in terms of revenue to the county this summer, is working hard to get material and crew lined up to build the dike back up if and when the lease agreement is approved by the State Land Board. Whitaker says Geneva Steel has agreed to provide slag for the repair project at no cost. The Travel Council is now seeking sanction from the Governor's office to use National Guard manpower to make the harbor useable. Whitaker says salvage of the launch site is critical to getting people on the lake this year and bringing a substantial revenue to the county. "Over 550,000 people went through the gate at the Provo Boat Harbor last year," he said. This year they estimate from one-half to a million tourists and water en thusiasts will potentially use the lake. The launch fee last year from the Provo harbor was $2.50 per boat "and that fee could reasonably go to $3.00 this year," said Whitaker. He said some 16,350 boats were actually put in the water in Provo last season and another 14,000 were launched from other sites around the lake. "Many of the people come from out of the county. They wait until they get close to the harbor before buying gas. This could mean about $300,000 being spent on gas alone in the county," Whitaker added. "Then there is the food they buy here. A lot of money is involved," he said. The State Land Board is scheduled to meet April 20 and it is expected that a decision will be made then on the lease agreement. A private individual has also applied for the lease in order to set up a search and rescue operation adjacent to the lake. |