Giving a river room to stretch

The Ogden River in northern Utah is a good example of what can be done to help rivers stretch out and still allow people to enjoy the resource. Officials working on the Spanish Fork River project are using the Ogden as a template. Trout Unlimited photo

By Jordan Nielson

SPANISH FORK, Utah -- Claustrophobia. That intense panicked feeling you get when you can’t move your arms and legs. Heart rates go up at just at the thought of being in a tiny space. Rivers experience it too.

A flood plain should be a part of a river channel. It’s the area where the river can overflow and move from side to side. Kind of like being able to stretch your body when you wake in the morning.

We love to build things on floodplains. Streamside real estate is a hot commodity. Businesses, homes and parks all get built right where the river needs to be able to move around to be healthy.

That’s where the river’s claustrophobia comes in.  When it can’t move from side to side the banks erode which, in turn, ruins fish habitat.  It is also highly likely the river will eventually flood where we’ve built, destroying or damaging our homes and buildings.

Trout Unlimited, Wells Fargo, Spanish Fork City and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are working to help at least one river overcome a fear or tight spaces.

Claustrophobic rivers are all too common in Utah and across the country. Utah is the second driest state in the nation and we need to be smart about the best ways to use water and prevent damage at the same time.

The Spanish Fork River is among them with private property and parks developed right to the river’s edge.

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Not the site people necessarily want to see while out for a walk along the river. This business has since left this location.

Recently the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation granted Trout Unlimited $25,000 through the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities program to complete restoration work on the Spanish Fork River.  Additionally, the Utah Habitat Council has ponied up another $10,000 to the effort.  This money will be used to engineer solutions to create a river channel that minimizes erosion, protects property and creates good habitat for fisheries through the city limits of Spanish Fork.

Spanish Fork City has been forward thinking about getting people out on the its namesake river and has built approximately 7 miles of trail along the river from the west city limit to the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon.

“I love what we’re doing with the Riverwalk.  Getting families out together, kids fishing, getting people outside,” said Brandon Gordon, with the Spanish Fork City Council.

The habitat restoration project is just a part of the overall vision city council member Mike Mendenhall has for developing the river.

The recent grant awards will help tie the community to the river and begin the process of renewing its freedom to move within the channel and floodplain.

“Timing for this project couldn’t be better” said Mendenhall.  “We have worked successfully since 2015 to obtain a grant from IHC and the Utah League of Cities and Towns to promote Active and Healthy Communities.” 

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Areas of the Spanish Fork River like this one will undergo restoration efforts thanks to a partnership of funding and conservation groups.

Mendenhall went on to explain that combining a portion of those funds with those obtained by Trout Unlimited will further invite citizens to enjoy the river and promote healthy living.  His plans include improving both general and ADA access to the river.

This new channel will be able to deal with erosion, provide the water in places we need it, protect the homes and businesses built next to it and create good habitat and recreational opportunities.  Trout Unlimited and its partners worked to show how that can be done here in Utah with the Ogden River and the work that has been done within Ogden City.

Gordon expressed his excitement for the Environmental Solutions for Communities grant and Trout Unlimited as a partner.

“Having groups like Trout Unlimited get involved and bring money to the table makes me want to do back flips,” he said.

Mendenhall summed up his comments.

“I’m confident with these funds and the volunteer spirit that exists in Spanish Fork we will be able to make some immediate and long lasting improvements.”

Trout Unlimited welcomes Spanish Fork City, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Wells Fargo into a new partnership to restore habitat conditions on the Spanish Fork River. Trout Unlimited will continue to seek funding and develop this new partnership so that property along the river can be protected and a lasting legacy of stewardship perpetuated.

Jordan Nielson is the Southern Utah Project Leader for Trout Unlimited. He is based out of Spanish Fork, Utah. He can be reached at JNielson@tu.org