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Conservationists urge Utah County leaders to oppose massive "Utah Lake Islands" proposal, cite ecological and fiscal risks
Summary
At a County Commission meeting, Conserv Utah Valley and a BYU aquatic ecologist warned that a proposed private island development enabled by changes to HB 272 could harm Utah Lake’s ecology, questioned the project’s financing and transparency, and urged legislative fixes and public dialogue.
Conserv Utah Valley and Brigham Young University researcher Ben Abbott urged Utah County commissioners on Wednesday to oppose a proposed large-scale real-estate project on Utah Lake, saying the plan would alter the lake’s ecology and may expose taxpayers to financial risk.
"About to unfold on the lake is a mistake we think of just huge proportions," Craig Christiansen, executive director of Conserv Utah Valley, told the commission as he asked county leaders for "leadership in helping to prevent that from happening." Christiansen said his group is supporting amendments to House Bill 272 to tighten the process that could allow transfers of lakebed for development.
Ben Abbott, professor of aquatic ecology at Brigham Young University, gave a historical and scientific overview of Utah Lake and warned that the proposed plan by a private firm would "privatize the lake bed and cover up about a fifth of the lake in private islands." Abbott described the lake as a "keystone…
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