In Logan, multiple conflicts have arisen due to a lack of water. Both those trying to preserve and those trying to develop claim to be fighting for the prosperity of future generations. But everybody has their own idea of what that looks like.
In Logan’s Island neighborhood — which is right next to the entrance to Logan Canyon — dozens of advocates have pushed for the preservation of the area’s natural resources in recent years.
Multiple coalitions of neighbors have come together, most recently to protect century-old trees. Just around the corner, residents have been rallying against another project led by the same engineering firm JUB, where a battle to keep the Little Logan River from being buried has come to a head.
For the past three years, residents of the area have been pushing for the river to be saved from being piped and pressurized in order to provide water to the growing valley. In November, Cache Water District manager Nathan Daugs announced this would no longer be the proposed plan.
“Based on public comment, we’ve made some fairly significant changes to the preferred alternatives,” Daugs said.
The current preferred plan, which has been drafted into an environmental impact statement and sent off for approval, is to hook the water pipeline in at First Dam instead of excavating and piping the entire river and to leave water (up to 10 cubic feet per second) in the little logan river while increasing water (a minimum of 25 cubic feet per second) in the Logan River.
This plan, Daugs said, is more costly for water users — up to $200,000 to $300,000 in added pumping costs. But after hearing from residents, project leaders felt it was worth it. There will still be more opportunities for public comment in about a year, Daugs said.
This project will update the water infrastructure so the next generation won’t have to, he said, but added it also makes the natural stream system even better than it has been, despite diverting water away from the river.
“We think this project’s a win-win because for the most part we’re able to do both of those,” he said. “It’s not perfect, right? Some people would prefer all the water be left in the river, and everybody just local-scapes their lawns, and we don’t use any water outdoors. Well, that’s maybe ideal for least impact on water use, but it’s not really the reality of where we’re at in today’s world.”
Friends of the Little Logan River, such as Hilary Shughart, the president of the local Audubon Society and the neighborhood chair for the area that encompasses much of the little river, said this recent step made by project leaders is a positive one.
But due to residents' experiences over the past three years, they feel hesitant to pop the champagne.
“I do think it appears they’ve made an effort to address certain concerns,” Shughart said, “but I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.”
