This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Opponents of the proposed Provo River delta managed to put a roadblock in the plan's way.
The Utah County Commission voted 2-0 Tuesday to create an agricultural protection zone in west Provo, where the federal Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission has proposed creating a new, June sucker-friendly outlet for the river.
The delta, a fan of sediment with meandering channels and pools, would offer warm, shallow water and plants that would serve as a nursery for June sucker larvae. Utah Lake is its only native habitat.
But critics say the project will destroy farmland by both turning land into a swamp while diverting water away from other landowners.
The agricultural protection zone won't necessarily stop the project, proponents say. It will force the federal government to conduct additional public meetings and require a commission vote to lift the zone.
Salem resident Don Cole said the delta would actually doom June suckers to extinction by making it easier for predators to find them. His solution: Dike off the East Bay of Utah Lake and designate it as a June sucker habitat.
In an earlier interview, reclamation commission Executive Director Michael Weland said predators are found in healthy fisheries.
Utah County Commission Chairman Larry Ellertson said the county has not taken a position on the delta project. He said the county wants to see a "win-win" solution that keeps water in the river's existing channel.
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