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What We Do

Primary goals of Salt Lake County's Watershed Planning and Restoration Program:

  • Integrated watershed planning
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Stream restoration and protection
  • Outreach and public involvement

Our scientific assessments and restoration projects are carried out on a cooperative partnership basis with local municipalities, service districts and state/federal agencies. Notably, the program typically leverages local financial contributions with federal and state grants targeted at specific stream or lake restoration measures to accomplish its goals.

Restoration

Using natural channel design our stream restoration projects stabilize and repair degraded stream banks, while returning streams to a more self-sustaining and stable form. This protects water quality, improves a stream’s capacity to handle floodwaters, and improves habitat for diverse species.

When designed correctly, these projects require less maintenance, blend into and become part of the natural landscape over time, and ultimately reduce overall costs.

A wooden dock over a river.

Natural Channel Design
Floodplain Riparian zone Flood prone elevation Bankfull elevation Aquatic zone Floodplain Riparian zone Uplands

Rebuilding Floodplains

Watershed Planning

A river with a small bridge.

Salt Lake County develops and implements watershed plans to protect and improve the water quality of the county's waterways. 

The overriding goal is improving watershed functions and providing high quality surface waters that support the national Clean Water Act goals of fishable and swimmable waters.

Our integrated planning process includes:

  • Evaluation of implementation activities (since last plan update)
  • Stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water review
  • Policy guidelines
  • Public outreach and education program
  • Stakeholder coordination
  • Monitoring
  • Plan amendment and update process
  • A roadmap to guide ongoing and future watershed improvements
Watershed Plans
A couple of men in life jackets looking at a tablet.

Data

Reliable, high-quality stream data is critical to understanding the overall health of a watershed. In particular, how development and other landscape-altering activities can impact stream health and natural stream functions.

Explore Data

Outreach & Public Involvement

Watershed Symposium
Watershed Watch Newsletter
Stream Care Guide
Stream Water Quality Data Dashboard

Focus Projects

A river with a small bridge.

Jordan River Murray/Taylorsville Ecosystem Restoration
A river with grass and trees.

Jordan River 4500 South Restoration
Jordan River Realignment at Rotary Park 12600S

Program History

Several programs and departments within Salt Lake County Government have spent countless hours promoting water quality and planning since the late 1970s. Between 1975 and 1978, the Salt Lake County Planning Commission acted as the Area-Wide Water Quality managing entity.

On February 6, 1978, with the completion of the Area-Wide Water Quality Management Plan, Salt Lake County Government was designated the regional water quality planning authority by then Governor Scott M. Matheson. The primary goals outlined in the 1978 Plan were to provide a “continuous planning process directed toward achieving the policy of restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of Salt Lake County.”

At this time, the Council of Governments (COG), in conjunction with the Salt Lake County Planning Commission, hired staff to conduct water quality planning and subsequently created the Water Quality and Water Pollution Department. The Water Quality and Water Pollution Department functioned as the primary water quality planning authority until 1985.

In 1985, the Salt Lake County Health Department took over this responsibility. In 1992, water quality planning was placed directly under the Salt Lake County Commission. In 1997, the Public Works Department of Salt Lake County took on the charge of area-wide water quality planning.