Our creeks originate high in the Wasatch Range surrounding the Salt Lake Valley. Our snowpack melts, flowing into our cities, and providing water for our people, plants, and wildlife. Greenways carry water from our high-alpine headwaters and reservoirs through our backyards, connecting us to the very water that sustains us.
Water Conditions along the Seven Creeks [01]
Vision
Restoring our WATER
Stream restoration and daylighting aims to re-establish a naturally functioning waterway and riparian ecosystem—or to the most natural state possible. This depends on factors upstream, surrounding land-use, and the space available. Efforts improve water quality through plantings, bank stabilization, and other green infrastructure. They recreate channel meanders, remove dams, and replace aging infrastructure.
Goals
Improve flood resiliency through streambank stabilization, recreating channel meanders, and reconnection to wetlands and floodplains.
Daylight creeks through natural, architectural, and cultural methods to enhance visibility and awareness of the creeks.
Improve water quality through green infrastructure and other stormwater management best practices.
Increase instream flows through water rights agreements and policy with consideration of changes in waterflow due to climate.
Remove dams and replace aging infrastructure.
Create educational opportunities around water quality and conservation.
Opportunity Areas
Opportunity Areas
Big Idea
North Temple
Category: 10-Year
City: Salt Lake City
Typology: Urban Downtown
Creek: City
Stream Length: 0.5 miles
Buried: 0.5 miles
Estimated Cost: $5-10M
As cranes dot the Salt Lake City skyline, downtown open spaces—like parking lots and rights-of-way—will give way to infill development. Currently, the 10-acre Pioneer Park is the only public green space in the Downtown neighborhood. To increase green space, 1992’s Open Space Plan imagined City Creek flowing along North Temple, around the Jazz Arena, through the Gateway, and connecting into the Folsom Corridor—an effort to revitalize an abandoned rail corridor into a paved trail and uncovered channel of City Creek. The 2016 Downtown Community Plan further “encourage[s] the continued ‘daylighting’ of City Creek to link the mountains with the Jordan River through downtown.” The proposed Green Loop transforms Salt Lake City’s wide rights-of-way—typically 132 feet—into linear park space. Corridors along North and South Temple provide opportunity for linear daylighting of City Creek.
Along North Temple between West Temple and 300 West, large surface parking lots—owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its subsidiaries—are prime infill redevelopment areas. As these properties are reimagined, City Creek could be uncovered, connecting into previous daylighting efforts outside the Church History Library and Conference Center and, upstream, at City Creek Park and within the median of Canyon Road. Downstream, the creek could be uncovered near the Jazz Arena, or adjacent properties, to 400 West. From there, it could flow into the Gateway Mall. This idea was proposed in The Gateway Specific Plan but was never pursued. In addition, City Creek Center features an artificial recreation of the south fork of City Creek.
Daylighting of City Creek, and creation of a linear park, would increase downtown green space. When connected with Memory Grove and the Folsom Corridor, City Creek would unite communities (and ecosystems) from the Wasatch Range to the Jordan River, bridging east-west divides and breaking down barriers created by Interstate-15. Increases to the urban forest would improve air quality and reduce the urban heat effect. Green infrastructure, such as bio-swales, would filter runoff before entering the stream and reduce flooding downstream.
Next Steps
Inventory parcels adjacent to the corridor to prioritize purchase of properties or easements to facilitate goals.
Meet with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Gateway Mall, and other interested landowners to discuss the vision and facilitate partnerships.
Culturally daylight the creek in the public right-of-way through paint, signage, or other works of art to build support for the project.
Create a policy that requires (or incentivizes) developers along this stretch contribute to goals.
Strategies
Create a linear park and multi-use trail to connect City Creek Canyon, Memory Grove, and the Folsom Corridor.
Daylight City Creek, connecting to previous efforts at the City Creek Park and along North Temple, as well as future efforts at the Folsom Corridor.
Integrate green infrastructure to control urban runoff and turn paved surfaces into green space with riparian plantings.
Sources
Utah Division Of Water Quality, Integrated Report on Water Quality (2022).