This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The number of environmental issues that transcend politics may be dwindling, but protecting our precious water should be at the top of that list. Both liberals and conservatives should be able to appreciate that in the Western United States, there is no natural resource more important than water, for mere survival, let alone social stability and economic growth.
In the early 20th century the Wasatch Mountains looked nothing like they do today. After decades of mining, grazing and logging by the first two generations of Utahns, Wasatch canyons had been denuded of trees and riddled with mining waste. The water in our canyon streams was among the most polluted in the country.
Ultimately, federal designation of national forests and intervention by LDS Church leaders afforded watershed protection and the end result was some of the cleanest and cheapest water in the country. All that may be about to end.
Our vulnerability to inadequate water resources is in sharp focus this year. Despite last year's anomalous snowfall, the West is experiencing exactly the trend that scientists have been warning us about — diminishing precipitation, earlier snowmelt, shrinking lakes and reservoirs and hotter temperatures. Mass die-off of Western forests is the undeniable, "in your face" empirical evidence that this alarming transformation is already under way.
Widespread loss of pine trees and aspen has not yet spread to the Wasatch canyons, but there is no reason to believe they are immune to these biological forces. Not only is the aesthetic beauty of our canyons in peril, but their irreplaceable role in our critical watershed is as well.
Unbelievably, some of our state and local politicians are collaborating with out-of-state and foreign corporations to add insult to injury. In defiance of the preference of most local residents, there are multiple plans for expansion of Wasatch ski resorts in the most critical areas of watershed, facilitated by a scheme to weaken canyon zoning ordinances and force feed us SkiLink — gondolas for the rich from the Canyons resort to Solitude, at $100 a pop. Developers hoping to subdivide Cardiff Fork into 200 homes are cheering for SkiLink because this would enhance the real estate value of their property. If Cardiff Fork is developed you might as well stick a fork in our watershed.
Just like 19th century mining and logging, more 21st century development in our watershed means less recharge of the soil and aquifers, less water storage, and deterioration of water quality. Asphalt, cement, building materials, oil, grease, petrochemical sealants, more human waste and activity in general will leach toxic chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria and unwanted pharmaceutical residues into our watershed. Less water also increases the concentrations of contaminants in the water that remains.
More water treatment is expensive (an additional taxpayer burden) but even more treatment will not miraculously restore degraded water to its "pristine" state. With what we know about the long-term health consequences of heavy metals and toxic chemicals like endocrine disrupters, even at extremely low doses, especially for children and fetuses, a degraded watershed is increasingly recognized as a serious public health threat.
Moreover, the public health consequences of air pollution, a serious problem for the same population, become additive, if not synergistic, when pollution is also being absorbed through a tainted water supply.
With natural threats mounting on the doorstep of our Wasatch forests, changing existing canyon zoning to allow more slopes to be stripped of their healthy trees for ski runs or gondolas would be shockingly poor risk management.
There are aesthetic, recreational and even economic reasons to preserve the canyons, but none is more important than protecting our watershed. Further canyons development represents a serious threat to the "water bank" that over a million people depend upon, and likely 1.5 million people within 20 years.
Addressing a proposed Green River pipeline by a private developer, Gov. Gary Herbert said, "We'll not relinquish one drop — one molecule — of Utah water." For the exact same reason he should feel even more strongly about not relinquishing one square inch of our watershed to Canadian developers like Talisker, or other owners of Wasatch ski resorts. But in this case he will have to protect our water future from members of his own party.
Time for some leadership, governor.
Brian Moench is president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.