Water Resources Planning and Restoration

Brook Trout by Kathlyn Collins

Channelization, dewatering, hardening, and dredging have all had significant impacts on aquatic and terrestrial habitat in the Salt Lake Countywide Watershed. 

• Channelization can reduce aquatic habitat by limiting pools, riffles and homogenizing the stream bed.
• Dewatering streams limits aquatic habitat. 
• Riparian vegetation, which provides cover for fish species and moderates water temperatures, has been reduced in many areas due to encroachment and channel alterations. 
• Dredging can reduce habitat by removing large woody debris that is often a significant component of aquatic habitat.

As part of an ongoing water quality planning effort, Salt Lake County seeks to encourage preservation and enhancement of aquatic and terrestrial riparian habitat while accommodating flood control and conveyance needs. 

Several studies have been conducted that examine fish species and abundance and diversity in the Salt Lake Countywide Watershed.  If there are additional studies that should be included in this list, please let us know.

• List of Fish in the Jordan River (Potts, 2008)
• Mill Creek Fish Studies (Cowley, 2005)
• R1/R4 Northern Intermountain Regions Fish and Habitat Inventory (Overton, 1997)
• Big Cottonwood Creek Fish Survey (Cowley, 1997)
• Fishery Investigations of the Lower Jordan River (BioWest, 1989)
• Jordan River Fisheries Evaluation (Wilson, 1987)
• Fishery and Macroinvertebrate Studies of the Jordan River (Holden, 1987)
• Fisheries and Macroinvertebrate Studies of the Jordan River (BioWest, 1987)
• Jordan River Fishery (Way, 1980)
  

Fishery Habitat (1963)
Estuaries in the upstream portions of the Jordan River provide essential spawning areas for the majority of species found in this River.  In 1963, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) conducted a study of the Jordan River. The results of this study are summarized in the table below.

STATION	SPECIES	STATUS
Cudahy Lane	Carp	Rare
2100 South to 3300 South	Carp Utah Sucker Redside Shiner Green Sunfish	Predominant Common Rare Rare
3300 South to Bullion St.	Utah Sucker Carp Pontosteus Sp. Rainbow Trout Shiner	Very Common Common Rare Less than 20 About 50 Individuals
Bullion Street to 6400 South	Utah Sucker Carp Pantosteus Sp. Rainbow Trout	Very Abundant Common Rare About 30 Individuals
6400 South to 7800 South	Utah Sucker Carp Utah Chub Rainbow Trout	Very Abundant Common Rare Uncommon (15-20)
12400 South	Carp Speckled Dace Pantosteus Sp. Redside Shiner Utah Sucker Utah Chub Brown Trout Rainbow Trout	Common Common Common Common Common Rare Rare Rare
14600 South	Carp Pantosteus Sp. Speckled Dace Utah Sucker Brown Trout	Common Common Common Uncommon Uncommon
Lehi, near Narrows	Channel Catfish White Bass Walleye Green Sunfish Carp Utah Sucker Utah Chub Brown Trout	Abundant Abundant Abundant Abundant Common Uncommon Uncommon Rare

           NOTE: Pantosteus Sp. is a mountain sucker type