The project would give too much state-owned land to a private developer, writes BYU law student Brittany Thorley.
The Jordan River meets Utah Lake in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.If you’ve driven by University Mall lately, you may have seen a billboard with a picture of a pristine lake that alludes to better recreation in Utah Valley., which wants to build 18,000 acres of islands in Utah Lake for a development of half a million people and promises restoration of Utah Lake along the way.
I won’t hide my own bias. I think this plan is brash and under-planned and will have harmful consequences on quality-of-life for Utah Valley residents. I am concerned that such a massive dredging project will ruin Utah Lake water quality. I worry that communities surrounding Utah Lake, like Vineyard or Saratoga Springs, will bear the burden of years of construction and become mere off-ramps to the island developments.
The Utah Lake Restoration Act, passed in 2018, says that the state may “dispose” of state land in Utah Lake “as compensation” for restoration of the lake. Another bill passed in the 2022 legislative session would create more oversight for when the state can make this kind of a trade, but ultimately still allows the state to turn over ownership of parts of Utah Lake to private developers.
So, whether you love Utah Lake, hate Utah Lake, or have never even been to Utah Lake, the state owes you and all future residents of Utah a duty to preserve this body of water and manage it in ways that serve the public’s best interests.