Provo River Delta Restoration Project
Eric McCulley1*, Melissa Stamp2
1Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission/ Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
2Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission/ Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
The Provo River Delta Restoration Project is one of the largest river and lake restoration projects in the region. Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission (URMCC) has worked with countless partners and agencies to develop the vision for reconnecting a bay of Utah Lake to the main body of the lake through this project. It has involved the development of over 22,000 linear feet of new river channel on the delta where the Provo River historically entered Utah Lake into Skipper Bay. This project took more than a decade to plan and has taken more than two years to implement. The main focus for the project is to provide rearing habitat for the threatened June sucker, found only in Utah Lake. Additionally, the variety of water depths in the Delta will also help Utah Lake adapt to a changing climate. Other benefits will include additional recreation access to the Lower Provo River and the newly reconnected delta and other water features and trails to connect people to the river and lake. Our team continues to work with our partners to implement the project over the next year and the result with be great for people and ecosystems in the face of changing climate and weather.