“That’s where 3,000 people a day will just fill up the area,” he says.

For now, there are no masses of people, just snow along the flat expanse beside the waterway. When the weather gets good though, by late spring, the people — kayakers, tubers, rafters, anglers — will come, turning the area, at times, into a chaotic mass of colorful floating devices and wet water enthusiasts finishing their runs down the Hen-Tag stretch of the Weber River.

Taggart, a blip on the map along the Weber River in Morgan County, is the endpoint of the popular 6- or 7-mile Weber River stretch, which starts in Henefer in neighboring Summit County. It’s also the focus of frequent handwringing by officials stemming from the crowds that accumulate, sometimes congesting the narrow road that connects to the area and leaving behind trash.

Now Singleton has added another twist to things, fencing off the takeout point along the Weber River where Hen-Tag floaters typically disembark from the water, maintaining that it is his property. That could wreak havoc on movement out of the river when the warm weather comes and crowds descend on Hen-Tag, forcing people to disembark instead at an adjacent publicly owned parcel about 150 feet upstream that is much steeper.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

It’s also spurred a new round of debate and discussion about management of Hen-Tag. Most immediately, Morgan County Commissioner Mike Newton said the county’s going to survey the land, double-check the property lines and make sure the new fence in fact sits on Singleton’s property.

Newton isn’t totally sure what’s motivating Singleton, who lives in Weber County. The new fencing has been in place since at least late December. “We’ve been a little unclear as to what he actually wants out of this deal,” Newton said.

Singleton, for his part, says he worries about liability issues should someone get hurt or worse while exiting the water and traversing through his property to the nearby roadway and parking area. By fencing it off and posting “no trespassing” signs, people theoretically will avoid the spot.

“It’s becoming a liability of a huge nature. You can imagine, having 3,000 people on your property,” Singleton said, alluding to the estimated count that travel the Hen-Tag section on the busiest of days. The prior property owner actually put up the fence, Singleton said, though he favors its presence.

What’s more, there’s the trash that Singleton says inevitably ends up on the land and the principle of the matter — property rights questions.

Image supplied, Morgan County

Those crossing his property “do not have my authorized permission and I’ve never received any compensation. So this is a big deal. It isn’t a little matter,” he said. Indeed, he has aspirations of potentially turning his property — about 6 acres at the location, most of it on the opposite side of the Weber River — into a tourist attraction of sorts at some point.

“That section is definitely the most recreated of the Weber River,” Newton said.

Dylan Taggart lives and owns land in the area, located off exit 108 along Interstate 84, just east of Morgan, and pays close attention to Hen-Tag developments. His take is that the varied issues associated with the rafting section, which have lingered for years as a topic of public debate and deliberation, need to get ironed out.

“Kent’s fence and gate are the biggest geographical additions in about 50 years. An honest and accurate survey needs to be completed before rafting season to avoid a very crazy season,” Taggart said, referencing the questions about the precise boundaries of Singleton’s property.

He’d like local leaders to step in. “The outfitters and public will adapt if needed, but Morgan has the opportunity and responsibility to step in and get it figured out,” Taggart said.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

It’s not like local leaders haven’t been involved, haven’t tried to address the issues, though. Morgan County designated the Taggart takeout point a recreation area and places outhouses and garbage cans at the spot during rafting season. A few years back, Morgan County covered the cost of road and parking upgrades in light of the big crowds that sometimes materialize at Taggart, according to Newton.

“We do want people to come to our county and enjoy the resources we have, including the river,” he said. “We want them to do it responsibility.”

Lack of funding is one roadblock, though. Despite the big crowds that sometimes ply the waterway, the rafting activity generates very little revenue for Morgan County, according to Newton. Most of the outfitters that serve Hen-Tag rafters are located in adjacent Summit County, near Henefer, the rafting section starting point.

Likewise, if Singleton is to develop his property into some sort of tourism operation, he’d have to get the property rezoned, Newton said. Two underground natural gas lines traverse the area and the land sits in a floodplain, adding more potential complications. Then there’s the matter of building a bridge over the Weber River from the takeout side of the waterway to the biggest swath of Singleton’s property on the opposite side.

The rafting section could be a great asset to Morgan County, Newton said. More work and effort, though, needs to be put into the area. For now, it’s an incomplete project.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

“Now, it’s a headache,” Newton said.