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NRCS-backed plan seeks $500,000 to remove invasive trees, reduce flooding risk in Sandwash
Summary
A state-NRCS proposal would fund a five-year invasive species removal and restoration project along Sandwash to reduce flooding and wildfire risk; planning, partner agreements and landowner outreach would follow if selected for funding.
A proposal submitted to the state Natural Resources Conservation Service would request $500,000 over five years to remove Russian olive and tamarisk from the Sandwash system, a town staff member told the Cleveland Town Council on March 13.
The proposal divides the work into four priority phases: around the airport where the Cleveland Canal crosses Sandwash, Ninth West to Center Street, Center Street toward 600 East (the road to the cemetery) and out to Desert Lake. The staff member said the work would include initial removal, follow-up treatments for regrowth, debris disposal assistance and funds for restoration plantings where necessary.
The project lead said partners already identified include county forestry and fire, the county weed department, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Beth Williams of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food was identified in the meeting as a planner who is preparing an invasive species mitigation (ISM) grant application that, if selected, would provide funds this year for localized work.
“This proposal to my state office requests $500,000 over the next five years,” the staff member said. He said the NRCS application would prioritize a defined focus area (phase 1) and that the team would take landowner applications and assemble contracts if the grant is awarded; he estimated applications would be taken this year and contracts could begin the following year.
Council members and residents raised operational questions, including the order in which reaches should be treated. One resident suggested treating the lower reaches first to avoid creating a fast initial surge of runoff; the project lead said the initial phase picked had been chosen to maximize likelihood of killing seed sources and limiting future recolonization, but acknowledged flood dynamics could argue for a different sequence and noted county weed crews have planned to start in lower reaches when funding is available.
The staff member said the project team plans a field tour with partners in late March or early April, and that outreach to landowners would ramp up if NRCS selects the proposal. He said some ISM funds, if awarded, could be available in 2025 for targeted work downstream near local landowner properties.
The council did not take a formal vote on the project during the March 13 meeting; the presentation was an update and an invitation to coordinate on future outreach and scheduling.
The discussion clarified next steps rather than committing town funds: a state review of the NRCS proposal, a partner field tour, landowner outreach and, if selected, a multi-year contracting and treatment schedule.
