Lake Restoration Solutions presents dredging-and-islands plan to Utah County commissioners

Lake Restoration Solutions presented an updated plan to the Utah County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 26, outlining a dredging-centered restoration of Utah Lake that the company says would improve water clarity, habitat and recreational access while creating an economic model to fund the work.

John Benson, president of Lake Restoration Solutions, told the commission the team submitted a permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in late December 2021 and expects an 18–24 month NEPA review with consultation from EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies including DNR and DEQ. Benson said the team shares the legislative goals set by HCR 26 and House Bill 272 (the Utah Lake Restoration Act), which the state accepted in 2018.

Benson described the project’s core elements: dredging nutrient-laden sediments, storing those sediments in dredged containment areas (what the team calls islands), and restoring submerged aquatic vegetation. He said dredging and reconfiguration of the shoreline would reduce nutrient recycling from shallow sediments, allow improved light penetration and permit vegetation to re-establish. ‘‘Removing those sediments will improve the water quality, and we will have to prove that as part of our permitting process,’’ Benson said.

The team outlined three island types: estuary islands for wildlife and habitat protection, recreation islands with beaches and docks, and community islands intended to generate revenue to help pay for restoration. Benson described the current update as smaller than earlier proposals (about 18,000 acres vs. an earlier ~20,000-acre footprint) and estimated the phased effort would take roughly 15 years across five phases.

Benson said the islands and lake reconfiguration would also improve safety and navigation, pointing to sheltered areas for boaters and expanded shoreline and littoral zones to benefit fish and birds. He estimated the project could conserve ‘‘upwards of 30,000,000,000 gallons of water per year’’ by reducing surface area and increasing depth, though he emphasized those numbers will be tested in permitting and modeling.

Commissioners pressed the team on public engagement and legal authority. Benson said the lakebed is state sovereign land and that the 2018 legislation enabled exchanges of created lands only when the Legislature deems the exchange an appropriate return to the public trust. He said the Army Corps’ public-release of the application will trigger formal comment periods and that the team expects to hold public meetings during the NEPA process; the team also offered to provide prior county studies to commissioners for comparison.

The Army Corps-led NEPA review, Benson said, will require public and agency review of the scientific, engineering and environmental work that underpins the plan. The commission did not vote on any formal action related to the Utah Lake Restoration Project at the meeting; Benson asked for the commission’s general support for the public process.

The next major procedural step will be the Army Corps’ completeness determination and release of the permit application for public comment. The company said it will respond to technical and public comments through the NEPA process.