FARMINGTON -- This summer, Davis County commissioners will be asked to financially support the creation of the Jordan River Commission, an agency designed to steward river development.
The river commission idea comes after the recent upriver oil spill that again underscored the important part the tributary plays in the waterways of Davis County.
The 45-mile Jordan River runs from Utah Lake to Great Salt Lake. Only one mile of it flows through the unincorporated portion of Davis County, and another mile or so runs through North Salt Lake.
Leaders at Envision Utah, the nonprofit group shepherding the formation of the commission, believe the new agency could have played a secondary role in the aftermath of the oil spill or any situation like it along the river.
"It would be a forum for the jurisdictions that were impacted to share information," said Gabe Epperson, planning director at Envision.
Altogether, 15 municipalities and three counties are being asked to support the creation of the river commission, an agency years in the making.
According to the 2008 document from Envision titled "Blueprint Jordan River," one of the commission's roles would be to preserve and protect the more than 7,000 acres of land along the Jordan, half of which are undeveloped. Commission members would be empowered to give recommendations on development plans, but would not have taxing authority.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality still has the Jordan River classified as "impaired," based on Utah water quality standards for total dissolved solids in polluted waters.
The "Blueprint" document calls for the possibility of improving the waterfront to include open spaces and nature preserves as well as bicycle trails, boat launches and riverside attractions.
The Utah Rivers Council, another nonprofit river protection group, has concerns that not enough is being done to help the river rehabilitate.
"There has been a ton of development along the Jordan River, and there is very little protected area," said Zach Frankel, Utah Rivers Council director.
Other concerns from environmentalists about the river commission are that it could be overly pro-development, as a majority of voting members will be from municipalities that would benefit from new tax dollars.
But Epperson counters that one-third of the voting membership will not be from municipalities, but community groups that apply for open seats on the commission.
"That's kind of unprecedented," said Epperson.
Commissioners will be deciding if the county will participate in the river commission at a cost of $5,000 a year.
"The Jordan River is a diamond in the rough," Alan Matheson, director of Envision, told county commissioners last month when the idea was first publicly floated in Davis County.
"I think it is a great idea," Davis County Commissioner John Petroff said at the meeting.
Salt Lake County already has gone on record to support the commission, and West Jordan is scheduled to vote tonight.
North Salt Lake, also one of the 15 municipalities, has yet to take action.
Epperson hopes the 18 potential members will have all decided by supporting an interagency agreement to create the commission by the end of the summer.
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