Regional Planning

The Great Salt Lake has been abused and taken for granted for the past 100 years. We are finding out how important the Lake is to the identity of Utah and the livelihood of its people. The history of the State and the Basin have been tied to the railroad since the joining of the Transcontinental Railroad in the basin at Promontory Point. Connecting Promontory to Salt Lake City resulted in the establishment of a regionally prominent city and the Wasatch Front known for its unique culture, scenery, and industrious people. The railroad and Interstate 15 promoted an industrial swath with the growth extending out to the Lake which was seen as utilitarian and served as a dumping ground.

With the Lake’s water levels in jeopardy for the first time in thousands of years, Utahans are growing concerned for the future of this beautiful and delicate place. Questions regarding the biggest culprits and/or silver bullet solutions do not appear to be effective pursuits. On the other hand a “common sense approach” might investigate the significant users of the water and which users are most important to the future prosperity of the area. It may also be useful to map and know the areas (called watersheds) that feed our valleys, grow our crops, and provide water to the Lake. It would make further sense to gather the people and leaders of the towns and rural communities from the same area as these four watersheds to gather and talk about everyone doing their part.

The USU/Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Studio (6200) and second year graduate students engaged three major stakeholders to identify projects, policies and public relations to increase awareness of the problem and invite collaborative solutions. The three stakeholders involved in this study were the Weber Basin Water Conservancy, the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council, and the Nature Conservancy. The final presentation involved the students, the stakeholders, Land Water and Air, and the general public.