The Salt Lake City Watershed Canyons water supply is a unique system given its proximity to a
growing population, recreation attraction and the direct stream flow that brings water from high in
the watershed to the water treatment system in just a few hours. As a result, there is minimum
buffering to minimize water quality impacts, with the exception of watershed protection strategies.
The City built on existing monitoring programs to develop water quality monitoring and response
plans as part of a comprehensive water quality information system that satisfies information needs to
support water quality management goals.
Development of the monitoring and response programs included input from a Blue Ribbon Panel of
national and regional experts and is designed to establish baseline water quality and track water
quality issues and changes that may result from growth and changes in land use activities. This water
quality information system is integrally linked to the City's water quality management goals through
monitoring network design, interpretation and reporting of results, and information needs.
As host to the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City also has a unique opportunity to evaluate a
temporary, but substantial increase in population and use of the watershed canyons. The Olympic
venues and indirect recreation of Olympic visitors enables the City to evaluate the impacts of long
term growth (increased watershed use) in a short term event. As a result, a sound scientific analysis
was developed to provide an unbiased explanation to watershed users on how different land uses and
activities can affect water quality, why protection strategies are needed, and where to focus
protection efforts.
Potential issues associated with the Olympics are future community issues. With growth, the issues
surrounding security, protection and viability of the water systems become everyday issues. Like
many cities, Salt Lake City will face these concerns on a continuous basis, long beyond the Olympic
events. The City's watersheds are critical to its future and their protection is a priority now, during
the Olympics, and into the future.
The City began collecting data under the revised monitoring program in April 2001 to provide data
for three seasons, including spring runoff, prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics. Includes 2 references, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 440 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 18 |
| Published : | 06/16/2002 |
