2005 Targeted Watersheds Grants:
Upper Sevier River
Utah
WHY IS THIS WATERSHED SPECIAL?
Located in south-central Utah this undeveloped, scenic 1.3 million acre watershed is
predominantly public lands. About 85 percent of the land is owned by the Bureau of Land
Management or the U.S. Forest Service. Areas of private land are predominantly rural and
utilized for hay production and grazing. Portions of the Upper Sevier River are designated as
Blue Ribbon Fisheries by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, indicating the importance of and
the potential for improvement in this trout fishery.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
The Targeted Watersheds Grant will focus on the following environmental problems:
• Intensive grazing and irrigation runoff contribute to habitat impairment and provide excess
sediment and phosphorus to the river.
• Lack of riparian vegetation and stream shading cause high stream temperatures and limit the
coldwater fishery.
East Fork of the Upper Sevier River.
RESTORATION ACTIVITIES
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality will use the
Targeted Watersheds Grant funds to address the major causes of
impairment identified in the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). A
TMDL is a watershed management plan identifying the maximum
amount of pollutants that a waterbody can receive and still meet
water quality standards.
• Undertaking stream restoration activities in river
reaches likely to provide benefits to the fishery.
• Stabilizing severely eroding stream banks and
reestablishing riparian vegetation to reduce sediment
and phosphorus loads.
• Conducting irrigation efficiency studies, soil moisture
monitoring and generation of real-time
evapotranspiration data to increase water use
efficiency and reduce runoff on agricultural land.
Riparian restoration site along the Upper Sevier River.
EPA840-F-07-001I
www.epa.gov/twg
-------
A STRONG PARTNERSHIP FOR CHANGE
To meet the goals of the TMDL, the Utah Department
of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality
has coordinated with several local and state partners
including:
• Upper Sevier River Community Watershed
Project
• Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Upper Sevier Soil Conservation District
• Utah State University
• Local land owners
EPA's Targeted Watersheds
Grants
EPA's Targeted Watersheds Grants program is
a competitive grant program designed to
encourage collaborative, community-driven
approaches to meet clean water goals.
For More Information
Contact:
James Harris
Utah Department of
Environmental Quality
iamesharris@utah.gov
(801) 538-6825
www.waterquality.utah.gov
Funding: $603,925
Along the East Fork of the Upper Sevier River.
2005 Targeted Watersheds Grants - Upper Sevier River
------- |