News Flash

$4.6 million allocated to Summit County Watershed Restoration and Fuel Reduction Projects

Summit County, Utah (May 31, 2022) — On May 19, 2022 Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) awarded $4.6 million dollars in grant funding for seven major watershed restoration and fuel reduction projects impacting Summit County. This funding will help support the restoration of the Weber Watershed which is the source of clean water for 700,000 people and home to wildlife that are dependent on healthy forests. 
 
“These are true private-public partnerships working cross-boundary and interagency to accomplish common goals in wildfire fuels reduction and watershed restoration,” Summit County Public Lands Manager Jess Kirby said. “In the face of a changing climate, projects like these are necessary to promote wildfire adaptive communities and resilient forests for future generations and the natural systems that rely on them. Ensuring the viability of our watersheds is crucial to maintaining a healthy future for Utah’s natural resources.”  

Project locations range from Parley's Summit and Weber Canyon to the Provo River watershed and the north slope of the Uintas. All projects will be funded July 1, 2022 and completed by June 30, 2023. 
 
Funding Allotments by Project:

• $3.2K Public Land Wildfire Fuel Reduction - USFS, State and Basin Recreation Open Space 
• $680K Stream Restoration - Weber River, East Canyon Creek, McLeod Creek, Chalk Creek 
• $520K Community Cost Share Wildfire Fuel Reductions Programs:
  • $264K Pinebrook Masters Association
  • $105K Summit Park HOA 
  • $150K Weber Canyon
• $150K Weed Abatement and Amphibian Monitoring
• $60K Summit County Green Energy Biomass Facility Analysis
• $36K Staffing and Project Management 

Thank you to the following organizations for their collaboration and support to secure grant funding: Uinta-Wasatch Cache National Forest, Utah Shared Stewardship, Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands, Utah Department of Wildlife Resources, Salt Lake Public Utilities, Utah Department of Agriculture and Farming, Weber Pathways, Ogden City, Utah Division of Water Quality, Utah Habitat Council, United States Air Force, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Utah Department of Transportation, Basin Recreation, Sageland Collaborative, Trout Unlimited, The Hogle Zoo, Weber River Partnership, Pinebrook HOA, Summit Park HOA, and Alpine Acres HOA. 

Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) is partnership-based and maintains a goal to improve high-priority watersheds throughout the state of Utah. Now in its fifteenth year, WRI focuses on improving three ecosystem values: 1) watershed health and biological diversity, 2) water quality and yield, and 3) opportunities for sustainable uses of natural resources. 
 

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Media Contact
Derek Siddoway, Communication & Public Engagement
Summit County
dsiddoway@summitcounty.org