Goal : Use a coordinated watershed approach to improve water quality
Poor water quality not only degrades ecological health but is also a major deterrent to Parkway visitors and can impair water uses. The most effective way to improve water quality in the Jordan River and its tributaries is to use a coordinated watershed approach, which involves working with partners across the entire watershed. Many of the pollution sources and contaminants in the river come from areas outside the Jordan River Parkway, so the success of efforts focusing only on the main stem of the river will be limited.
For instance, rain falling on the top of the mountains makes its way through natural areas and eventually meets human influenced areas and higher levels of pollution as it travels down toward the river. Thus,
working from the top of the watershed to the bottom is an effective strategy for improving water quality in the Jordan River.
1. BETTER UNDERSTAND THE WATER QUALITY CONDITIONS OF THE RIVER
Having a sound understanding of the sources of pollution in the Jordan River will
pave the way for developing prioritized strategies.
STRATEGIES:
• Work with Salt Lake County, Utah County, and Davis County to characterize current water quality conditions.
• Integrate the total maximum daily load (TMDL) research compendium into planning efforts. The dissolved oxygen TMDL Watershed Management Program for the Jordan River is managed by the Watershed Protection section of the Utah Division of Water Quality.
• Participate with partners who are researching the benefits, detriments, and appropriate concentrations of cyanotoxins and algae.
• Continue to enhance the water quality model.
• Develop better understanding of groundwater inputs into the river.
3. FOCUS ON UTAH LAKE WATER INPUTS TO THE RIVER
Utah Lake is the largest input into the Jordan River and can significantly impact water quality in the river.
Pollution sources from Utah Lake, including toxic algae blooms, present some of the largest threats to water quality in the river.
STRATEGIES:
• Work closely with the Utah Lake Commission on water quality issues.
• Evaluate a state legislative amendment to enable the Jordan River Commission to participate formally in the Utah Lake Commission.
• Coordinate with Utah County municipalities that discharge into Utah Lake.
4. INTEGRATE CREEKS AND CANALS INTO WATER MANAGEMENT PLANNING
Tributaries such as creeks and canals should not be overlooked when addressing water quality issues in the Jordan River.
STRATEGIES:
• Build watershed partnerships with water managers in the Jordan River tributaries.
• Build off concepts identified in the Wasatch Mountain Accord and coordinate with the Central Wasatch Commission on watershed issues in the Wasatch Mountains.
• Evaluate changes in water quality resulting from shifting canal use from irrigation to stormwater management.
• Evaluate areas around the Great Salt Lake, Farmington Bay, and the duck clubs in Davis County for impacts related to Jordan River water flows and pollutants.
• Work with Seven Canyons Greenway Vision process and Seven Canyons Trust for water quality management in the creeks flowing from the Wasatch Mountains.
5. MANAGE AGRICULTURE AND LANDSCAPING RUNOFF
Agriculture and landscaping runoff are a significant source of nutrient pollution in the river. Targeting these sources is central to improving water quality.
STRATEGIES:
• Implement recommended best management practices for golf courses, parks, and other publicly owned manicured green spaces along the corridor.
• Implement Low Impact Development (LID) best management practices into planning the parkway.
• Coordinate with partners in discussions of LID practices and how to best implement them.
• Work with the Utah Division of Water Quality on best management practice tracking.
• Control nonpoint source runoff from specific actions such as off highway vehicle use, illegal dumping, and fertilizer use.
6. MANAGE URBAN RUNOFF AND STORMWATER
In urban areas, impermeable surfaces, such as streets and parking lots, and “grey” infrastructure, such as concrete gutters, contribute to rapid runoff carrying synthetic chemicals and organic matter into the river.
STRATEGIES:
• Promote stormwater best management practices.
• Ensure that infrastructure and facilities developed in the Parkway meet best practices for runoff management. Tools such as green streets, vegetated swales, bioretention, permeable paving, constructed wetlands, infiltration underdrains, and green roofs may be used.
• Seek opportunities to innovate and advance local capacity in stormwater management by engaging with researchers who are developing new techniques and approaches.
• Integrate stormwater treatment into natural open spaces where applicable.
• Establish multi-jurisdictional stormwater districts.
• Facilitate research on organic matter inputs and dissolved oxygen.
• Educate private contractors and land managers on best management practices.
• Investigate industrial stormwater inputs.
• Leverage the Jordan River Watershed Council to facilitate discussions between groups working on stormwater management. Integrate water quantity into the conversation.
Goal: Manage river flows for natural river function
One of the main drivers of water quality and ecosystem function are the flows of water in the river. The timing, duration, and extent of water flows control many of the processes that occur in the water and along the river edges. For example, when there is little water in the river, pollutants can build up and concentrate at their origin site. When abundant water is flowing, pollutants are diluted. Additionally, riparian ecosystems in the Intermountain West have historically been dominated by spring floods, which typically fall off in early summer.
These floods are essential in the life cycle of riparian plants, providing seasonal changes that encourage natural ecosystems to develop and maintain themselves. Without spring flooding in some form, many of the native and desirable plant species will not persist and be overtaken by less diverse and less resilient ecosystems. Upstream and downstream water managers and users play a large role in controlling flows in the Jordan River, and better coordinating flows with management goals can help sustain the riparian habitats as well as recreational uses.
1. MAINTAIN SUITABLE WATER LEVELS TO SUPPORT AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN HABITATS
Flow management strategies can support sufficient water availability that riverine ecosystems and recreational uses depend on.
STRATEGIES:
• Build partnerships with water managers across the watershed.
• Refine flow management strategies for Utah Lake outflows.
• Look at recreation flows for boat passage.
• Focus on critical low flow conditions, typically in late summer and fall.
• Advocate for naturalized river flows.
• Use water banking agreements to maintain instream flows in accordance with the Utah Water Banking Strategy.
2. MINIMIZE DISRUPTIVE FLOOD FLOWS AND RAPID CHANGES IN FLOW RATES OUT OF UTAH LAKE
Large, sudden releases from Utah Lake can cause flooding conditions in the Jordan River that can wash away vegetation and create hazardous recreational conditions.
STRATEGIES:
• Refine flow management strategies with Utah Lake Commission and Utah Lake water users.
• Improve communication between Utah Lake water users and the Jordan River Commission to provide better information to habitat managers and recreational users of the river.
• Manage for more natural small flooding cycles to develop more diverse ecosystems.
3. IMPROVE FLOOD CONVEYANCE CAPACITY
Flood conveyance capacity in tributaries, infrastructure design, and floodplain management all influence conditions in the river during flooding events.
STRATEGIES:
• Conduct a feasibility study on canal management to benefit the river.
• Use floodplain reconnection and green infrastructure in the Parkway and throughout the watershed.
Goal: Enhance the hydrological function of the river
Enhancing the movement and distribution of water in the River is essential to the longterm sustainability of riparian ecosystems and can help reduce the negative impacts of pollution in the River.
Prior to channelization, the Jordan River used to meander across a wide flood plain, changing course somewhat regularly. Altering the course and extent of the Jordan River and its floodplain during the 19th and 20th century opened land up for human use, but inhibited many of the River’s natural functions, and further channelization and dredging for flood control continues to impact these functions. Where the River is constrained due to infrastructure, flooding can create significant damage to areas adjacent to the river. Allowing enough space for the river to function in a more natural way can increase the resilience of the river to natural and human caused changes.
1. DEVELOP BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HYDROLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE RIVER
A sound understanding of current hydrological conditions is needed to effectively plan to enhance the functions of the river.
STRATEGIES:
• Conduct a geomorphic assessment of the river.
• Develop a hydrologic model for the movement of water through the Jordan River.
• Develop an inventory and functional analysis of river reaches that are disconnected from the floodplain.
• Develop a basin-wide plan for keeping rivers and creeks functional.
2. RESTORE THE RIVER’S “MEANDER CORRIDOR” OR “FLOODPLAIN CORRIDOR” WHERE POSSIBLE
Restoring floodplains and meander corridors can improve wildlife habitat and hydrology.
STRATEGIES:
• Develop a “meander corridor” to mitigate flood related risks.
i. Improve and protect wetlands in the floodplain and adjacent to the River.
ii. Restore natural riparian ecosystems.
iii. Explore opportunities to move infrastructure when it is a barrier to enacting strategies to restore the River.
• Manage hydrology to support native species by providing a natural spring flooding pattern and sufficient summer base flows.
• Increase connectivity between the River and surrounding floodplains by re-grading vertical banks, removing piles of dredge spoils, etc.
i. Look to tributaries for opportunities to improve floodplain connectivity.
3. STABILIZE RIVERBANKS WHERE NEEDED
Current land uses are incompatible with natural/historic river conditions in some locations. Maintaining riverbanks to prevent erosion is needed in these areas.
STRATEGIES:
• Identify areas where restoring the “meander corridor” or “floodplain corridor” is not feasible.
• Develop protocols to maintain or stabilize riverbanks in areas where reinforced banks are needed.
• Incorporate natural channel design into projects affecting the hydrology of the River.
