Viewed from its shorelines or from the surrounding foothills and mountains, Utah Lake is a thing of great beauty, an oasis of openness and space in a highly urbanized valley. By contrast, imagine what Utah Lake would look like if it were choked with artificial islands, causeways, highways, and associated residential and commercial development, as Lake Restoration Solutions (LRS) president, Jonathan Benson, proposes (The Tribune, Feb. 17).
This precious public resource should not be turned over to private entities in a misguided attempt to “restore” the lake. Statements by Benson about the abysmal condition of the lake are in direct contrast to assessments by local scientists who have studied the lake for many years. Ongoing efforts by the Utah Lake Commission and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality have shown progress in reducing nutrient discharge into the lake and improving water quality.
Benson’s statement that, unless we turn over our lake to LRS, each household in Utah Valley would be on the hook for $40,000 is a blatant scare tactic intended to curry public support for the ridiculous LRS project. We don’t need to spend billions of dollars to dredge the entire bottom of Utah Lake, as LRS proposes! We are making progress without converting this natural resource into a Disneyesque theme park.
Jim Harris, Payson