Water board funds nine projects with stimulus money

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 25, 2009 | by Joseph M. Dougherty Deseret News

The Utah Water Quality Board decided to award nearly $4 million in federal stimulus money to nine water quality projects throughout Utah.

All of the projects are to meet certain "green" requirements outlined by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The biggest award -- $1 million -- is going to the Ogden River restoration project.

Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey told the board that the project is important for the city. "It's a community that's been blighted for generations," he said.

The Ogden River restoration project, designed to widen a one- mile portion of the river's channel, is part of major redevelopment in the area around the river, where whole neighborhoods are boarded up and vacant.

Developers are ready to begin work, and design engineer Jason Carey said while Ogden was hoping for $2 million, he's happy to have $1 million. He said city officials will continue seeking funding elsewhere.

Stimulus funds also were awarded to the Utah State University Research Foundation, which is working with Logan on a $15 million project to improve the water quality in Cutler Reservoir.

The project, which the board granted $500,000, is designed to grow enough algae to consume phosphorus in Logan's wastewater lagoons. The algae can then be harvested to be converted into biofuels, such as biodiesel, to power the city's garbage trucks.

By removing the phosphorus from the water, which is used as irrigation water, less algae growth should occur in the reservoir when irrigation water runoff ends up there.

Two projects on the Jordan River designed to remove sediment and restore the stream channel garnered $577,500 and $484,200.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources plans to remove 1.2 million pounds of carp from Utah Lake using commercial seines. The $251,600 the board awarded to the division should help it reach that goal by August. Eventually, the division would like to remove 5 million pounds of carp each year.

The nine projects must meet recovery act requirements by Nov. 15 or the board can revoke the funding.

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