But for Salt Lake City leaders, revelations about the level of pollution plaguing east-side stream corridors have spawned a sudden sense of urgency.
So, tonight, the City Council is poised to amend zoning rules to stamp out new construction and erosion-related additions within 100 feet of stream banks along the city's east bench.
The council must act since a six-month moratorium on development near creek corridors is set to expire this week.
The move may affect more than 2,000 property owners who live near Red Butte, Emigration, Parleys and City creeks.
Though existing properties would be grandfathered, the measure sets increasingly stringent restrictions within 100 feet, 50 feet and 25 feet of the streams. If it passed, for instance, residents would be required to get permits for such things as new steps and decks within 25 feet of a bank.
During a public-comment period last week, some affected property owners lambasted the council for leaving them out of the discussion. The natural-habitat argument is "nonsense," the critics cried, alleging that through storm-drain dumping, the city actually is the biggest polluter.
Still others argue the council has a hidden agenda - to stop a now-stalled development plan for homes in Wasatch Hollow.
Council Chairwoman Jill Remington Love says it is fair to say the Wasatch Hollow debate spurred the issue. But since then, she says, the council has recognized the breadth of the pollution problem and the lack of rules safeguarding streams.
"It's really no longer about that development," she says. "It's about trying to protect our stream corridors."
Love notes that tonight's action would be temporary; the city will take six months to devise a comprehensive compromise. Some future fixes may include working with Salt Lake County leaders to rid the area of septic tanks, offering more education on pollution and considering separate master plans for each stream corridor.
A public hearing in the council chamber is scheduled for about 7:30 p.m., before any vote.
djensen@sltrib.com
