Daylighting creeks in Salt Lake City: Creating the Three Confluences Park

Last Saturday was the Celebrate at the Confluence event sponsored by Seven Canyons Trust, held at Three Confluences Park on Salt Lake City's West Side.

Seven Canyons Trust worked with the city to create the park by daylight the confluence of Red Butte Creek, Emigration Creek, and Parley's Creek at 900 West  ("Salt Lake City’s newest park is now open — see where three creeks meet on the west side," Salt Lake Tribune).  It opened in 2021.

The Trust grew out of a University of Utah planning design studio, which focused on the concept of daylighting creeks throughout Salt Lake Canyon.

The Wasatch Front is full of canyons and creeks.  The creeks, fed by snowmelt and rain, empty into the Jordan River which in turn flows into the Great Salt Lake.  Area communities capture this for the bulk of their water consumption.  (Once they are past the canyon, rain and stormwater, plus water releases from the canyons, make up the water flow.)

An 1800s citizen movement to protect the watershed.  Because of citizen concerns in the late 1800s about the quality of water supplies because the creeks and rivers were mostly used for dumping waste including dead animals, and the denuding of canyon forests for wood, they advocated for the creation of national forests as a way to protect the water supply.

Phillips Arch in the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  Photo: Tim Petersen.

Today Utah is a leader in trying to overturn federal ownership of public lands.  These days that's particularly ironic, because at the State level and the State's representatives in Congress, including the particularly odious Senator Mike Lee, Utah is a leader in trying to get federal public lands given to the state.  And the state (and Senator Lee) want to develop these lands as much as possible ("Thanks to Utah, Americans are about to lose their public lands," Moab Times-Independent).  

For example, the State supports the reduction in size of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument ("Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Under Attack from Utah Members of Congress," Earthjustice).  And it suggested that the federal lands in the Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons--also used by for profit ski resorts in the winter, should be converted to state control.  To what ends...?

The State of Utah funded an ad campaign promoting its preference for federal lands being "returned" to the state.  Note that the State Constitution says federal lands should always be federal ("Here’s how much Utah is spending on a public relations campaign for its lawsuit seeking control of public land," Salt Lake Tribune).

Forest Service changes to increase for profit use of forests at the expense of conservation and public use.  Moving the US Forest Service to Utah ("The Forest Service Is Moving to Utah. Here’s What That Means for Our Public Lands," Outside) and the firing of scientists there ("Forest Service Sheds Research Capacity in Move to Utah," PEER) furthers this agenda.

How the Trump Administration is selling the move: "USDA Prioritizing Common Sense Forest Management, Moves Forest Service."

Undergrounding into pipes creeks and rivers.  But I digress.  In many urban areas, starting in the 1800s, creeks and rivers were covered and diverted into underground pipes.  

In DC, that's happened with Tiber Creek.  Someone who worked in a building abutting the old creek said you could hear it sometimes.  

In my Manor Park neighborhood, a creek at Fort Slocum was undergrounded--but the area still has a high water table and flooding--we had to install two sump pumps as a result of that and increasingly "robust" rain events.

DC still has other streams, even if it doesn't have an active daylighting program.  The Anacostia Watershed Society, Anacostia Riverkeeper, and Washington Parks & People lead efforts to remove litter and improve water quality for creeks that run into the Anacostia River.

Rock Creek Conservancy does the same for the DC and Suburban Maryland sections of the Potomac River Watershed, alongside the Potomac River Conservancy.

RFK Jr. may be willing to swim in it.  I think it's still premature ("Kennedy Swims in Washington Creek That Flows With Sewage and Bacteria," New York Times).  But ever closer, at least for the River, except that it took a major step backwards when a wastewater line burst, flowing into the River for weeks before it was repaired and contained ("A Huge Sewage Spill Is Over, but Contamination Lingers in the Potomac," NYT).

Daylighting.  For 20ish years at least, there has been a movement for daylighting--restoring these creeks and rivers.  Seoul is particularly famous for removing a freeway that had been built on a river.  In 2020, the Catharijnesgel Canal in Utrecht, Netherlands, was restored after being filled in during the 1970s to create a 12-lane freeway.  Etc.  

Before and after, Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project.

I think I first came across the concept in an issue of the Urbanite, a magazine that focused on Baltimore urbanism, which sadly went defunct as a result of the 2008 Great Financial Crisis.  

In "The Urbanite Project 2010" "Architect Gabriel Kroiz and environmental lawyer Eliza Smith Steinmeier proposed daylighting Harford Run, a stream that runs under Central Avenue, and turning it into a lively community recreational space."

 3 Confluences Park today and the site in 2007.

Jordan River.  Separately the Jordan River Commission has been charged with restoring the Jordan River (and Utah River in Utah County) as it flows to the Great Salt Lake.  One thing they did that's really cool is the Jordan River Parkway trail along the River from Utah Lake in Utah County to the Great Salt Lake in Davis County--I've ridden parts of it but then I got sick and couldn't bike ride--over 60 miles.

View of the 3 Confluences from the east bank of the Jordan River/Jordan River Parkway Trail.

Rain, rain go away: climate change, extreme weather events, and floodplains

One of my lines about policy by elected officials is sort of along the lines of the Churchill quote about the US:

You can always trust America to do the right thing.  After she has exhausted all other possible alternatives.

Policy and practice is mostly about doing whatever you can to avoid the reality of economics (e.g., if you restrict housing supply, prices go up) or disaster (e.g., if you build in flood plains and buildings get flooded, but instead of saying don't build in flood plains, people rebuild and/or flood insurance helps pay to do so).

There are almost too many examples to count of problems resulting from flooding because of buildings in flood plains impacted by hurricanes, extreme rain, etc.  And decided actions to try to avoid acknowledging and addressing the required changes.

-- "Flood Insurance Program Increasingly Underwater as Payouts Shatter Records," Scientific American

A recent example is in Arlington County, where Four Mile Run was devastated by last week's extreme rain on Monday July 8th ("After years of talk — and flooding — Arlington residents demand fixes to storm drain system," Washington Post).  People in the article are quoted about Arlington taking a long time on dealing with the need for more robust stormwater drainage systems.

Alexandra Lettow was near tears as she described the losses her family suffered in Monday’s flooding to neighbors and county officials gathered at a home in Arlington’s Waverly Hills neighborhood.

Destroyed this time were the family’s appliances, the heating and air-conditioning system, the hot water heater, a couch, her son’s Xbox, a television and more. It was at least the seventh time the neighborhood had flooded in 19 years.

“We took a home loan out last year to repair the basement from the last flood,” Lettow said. “We have no more money, and we have mold growing down there.”

Arlington officials on Saturday said initial reports put uninsured residential and business losses at more than $4 million.

Um, 7 floods over 19 years is an indicator of a structural problem.

But with rains more and more extreme, the amount of piping and water storage capacity necessary to capture the water to prevent flooding is almost immeasurable. It's certainly very costly to try to build a hard system (pipes and storage). DC's building both hard infrastructure and soft (water capture and diversion from drainage collection systems), but in extreme events it may not be enough. For example, the National Archives after terrible flooding in the past has emergency water barriers, which deployed last week ("The National Archives' floating flood wall helped dodge disaster," Post).

But at the same time, even though it's an extremely hard decision to make, buildings in known flood zones ought to be taken removed. The county and individuals can't keep trying to put things back together only for the problem to repeat. Remember, insurance policies don't typically cover this kind of water damage, especially in areas known for flooding risk.

-- FEMA Flood Risk Maps


Another regional example is Ellicott City in Howard County, just outside of Baltimore, where over a short period the commercial district experienced flash floods twice, each with loss of life. Dealing with this, with the loss of some great historic building stock, has roiled local politics there ("Experts weigh in on development's impact on Ellicott City flooding," Baltimore Sun; "A Historic River Town Confronts a Flooded Future," CityLab).

1. I've written about Tulsa.

The city frequently experienced floods on the Tulsa River, many of which resulted in death and property damage. In 1984, after flooding which resulted in 14 deaths, the city created a Department of Stormwater Management and developed a Citywide Flood and Stormwater Management Plan, which provides for specific improvements across the city.

The primary focus of the plan is removing buildings from the flood plain and converting these spaces to greenways and parks as a way to absorb flooding while minimizing damage. The plan has been frequently updated--another iteration is underway--and since 1990, no structure built before 1987 has been damaged by flooding.

-- "Stormwater Management // After 10 Years, How Is the new department doing?," Tulsa World, 1994
-- "In Tulsa, a National Blueprint for Managing Floods as Cities Grow and Climate Changes," NPR

Although more recently, they don't make the planning documents that easy to find. In other words, you'd think you could find them in a central place on the city website... nope.

-- Phase II Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) for Tulsa County, Oklahoma
-- STORMWATER TORMWATER MANAGEMENT CRITERIA MANUAL, City of Tulsa

2.  And Florida, where post-Hurricane changes to building codes ("Hurricane Andrew prompted better building code requirements," Business Insurance) have made buildings more resilient in the face of extreme storms, although as memories of past disasters fade, there is backsliding on the regulation ("Florida’s building code is tough, but Michael was tougher. Is it time for a rewrite," Miami Herald).

3.  USA Today reports, "Trump tax reform: Don't expect tax break on losses from severe storms," that recent changes to the tax laws make it harder to deduct unexpected losses from flooding.  And that a federal disaster declaration is necessary to be eligible for tax loss deductions.  That seems a bit extreme to me.  State-sanctioned declarations ought to suffice.

4.  The New York Times had a story, "'We Cannot Save Everything': A Historic Neighborhood Confronts Rising Seas," about disaster planning for historic buildings in Newport, Rhode Island, vis a vis the Atlantic Ocean.

There is a nice multimedia graphic showing how the basements of buildings are being rebuilt to accommodate flooding.  ... although that means you can't use the basement for anything else.

5. This year's floods in the Midwest have even overwhelmed cities like Davenport, Iowa, which also took steps similar to Tulsa, and only allowed development along the waterfront, like a baseball stadium and parks, designed to accommodate floods ("Deadly Flooding From Michigan to the South Damages Homes, Sends Mississippi River to 157-Year-High in Davenport, Iowa," Weather Channel).

The city chose to not build a levee system but to rely on water barriers and flood walls. 

Conclusion.  Like what Tulsa started doing 35 years ago, more places are going to have to make hard choices about dealing with pre-existing development in floodplains in river and stream watersheds, on riverfronts, and on coastal waterfronts.


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Frankly, we have a similar issue because while we don't live in a flood plain, it turns out our neighborhood includes at least one "buried creek" and there is a high water table.  Now with more frequent and extreme rains, if the drain in our back porch gets covered in leaves and debris, water can build up (very quickly) and seep into the basement.

It's abetted by "bad perc" (percolation) in our backyard.  The ground is very compacted and water pools during a hard and fast rain.

This is after we already put in a French drain system because of problems with the high water table and water coming into the basement from under the house through the seams in the concrete floor (hydrostatic pressure)-- but we only put it in on three sides (oops).

We lamented why didn't the previous owner put in the French drain system instead of us paying for it?  But rain events probably weren't that extreme in the 50 years she lived here.

They are now.  Regularly.

DC puts forward legislation to create Waterways Commission and Authority

According to the WAMU/NPR story "More People Are Using D.C.’s Rivers. Lawmakers Say Better Management Is Needed".

From the article:

To illustrate the need for better management, Allen cites the example of the Frederick Douglass Bridge currently being built over the Anacostia River.

Allen says the District government has done a “a phenomenal job” on the design. “But, from a construction standpoint, no one thought about the users of the river. The construction plans actually narrowed the entire river down to one small channel.” At this key river access point, near the confluence with the Potomac, water traffic is choked down to one lane.

“That was a decision that we probably could have thought about differently if we viewed the access to the water and the management of the activities on the water in a more proactive way,” says Allen.

While I have been recommending the creation of such an authority since 2006, in 2014 I specifically wrote about managing the crossings over the Anacostia River as a system:

-- "The Anacostia River and considering the bridges as a unit and as a premier element of public art and civic architecture"
"Saving the South Capitol Bridge as an exclusive pedestrian and and bicycle bridge"

and in 2012:

"Wanted: A comprehensive plan for the "Anacostia River East" corridor"

1.  In any case, a waterways authority is a concept that is not original to me.

2.  A few years ago, I also recommended that the DC Comprehensive Plan should include a "Rivers and Waterways Element."  The Office of Planning wasn't interested.

3.  And that DC's neighborhood commissions, called Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, should create River/Watershed/Environment subcommittees to address relevant matters that relate to the rivers and watersheds, streams, etc. in their communities.

4.  And that the city should create an Adopt a Stream program -- it has as a pilot, in association with the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the Rock Creek Conservancy -- as part of a way to provide engagement opportunities for citizens in connecting more to the city's waterways and watershed environments.

5.  There were some letters to the editor in the Washington Post recently expressing concern about the proposals to redesign and make more active the C&O Canal in Georgetown ("Here's a better idea for the C&O Canal: Leave it be").

-- "Planning commissioners warn against ‘over-programming’ Georgetown C&O Canal overhaul," Curbed DC

The C&O Canal should be part of a waterways plan.  And it does need more programming and investment because obviously it's just one of many parks in the National Park Service system that are underfunded and that will be the case for decades.

Note that I thought the inclusion of the C&O Canal in the "Georgetown Glow" outdoor lighting/sculpture program was pretty cool.


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-- "Revisiting stories: DC's Waterfront," 2018

FWIW, Salt Lake County has an awesome publication on watershed management that is citizen- and public- engagement focused, Stream Care Guide: A Handbook for Residents of Salt Lake County.  Which is paired with an annual Watershed Symposium.

It's not that DC isn't doing some of this stuff, just that, as usual all the efforts are one-off and not integrated or coordinated.

Of course, a key issue is dealing with climate change and hardening buildings in the flood plains.

For example, the rough rainstorm on Monday flooded buildings in the vicinity of the National Mall, including the National Archives once again ("Dangerous flash flooding hits DC during morning commute," ABC News).

Today is World Water Day: Water's not just for drinking

-- World Water Day, United Nations

Water system privatization.  An article in the Guardian, "England's running out of water – and privatisation is to blame," criticizes rampant privatization of water systems in the UK, how more money is spent on dividends than repairing leaks.  Meanwhile, desperate for money, the City of Providence is considering leasing their water system out, to get upfront monies to put towards pension funding ("Providence floats plan to shore up pensions by leasing waterworks, response is chilly," Providence Journal).

Flooding.  Flooding in the Midwest is devastating communities ("Midwest flooding could be costly: In Nebraska, tab is $1.3 billion and rising with waters," USA Today) and is expected to spread further into the Midwest and the South ("River flooding to persist well into spring 2019 over central US," AccuWeather).

--Midwest Floods of 2019—The Latest Disaster to Learn From, Natural Resources Defense Council

Climate change ("Great Lakes region warming faster than rest of U.S.," Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

Sea level rise...  Flooding in the Midwest, is only partially a problem of climate change.  Sea level rise is a day-in, day-out issue for communities like Miami Beach, which experience flooding almost daily as a result of sea level rise ("Miami Battles Rising Seas," New York Times).

affects property values ("Coastal Flooding Is Erasing Billions in Property Value as Sea Levels Rise," Inside Climate News)

and can't be legislated away ("NC banned a study on sea-level rise. Could it mean more hurricane destruction?," Raleigh News & Observer).

There is that pesky issue of replacing degraded waterworks infrastructure, which is leading to significant increases in the cost of water.

-- Aging water infrastructure in the United States,| Deloitte Insights

The waste of bottled water ("12 facts that show why bottled water is one of the biggest scams of the century," BusinessInsider). A bottle of water for $1 costs 800x the cost of 16 ounces of water from the tap.

Do lakes and rivers have rights?  Residents in Toledo vote in favor of giving Lake Erie "rights" ("Can a lake have rights? Toledo votes yes," Christian Science Monitor).

Plastic pollution in water sources ("Plastics pollution threatens Great Lakes, not just the oceans," Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

Planning on meta scales

1. Wildfire prevention.  The State of California has mandated that cities/counties include mitigation of the potential for wildfire events in their general/master plans.

The City of San Diego is working through compliance with that mandate currently ("San Diego adding wildfire prevention policies to development blueprint," San Diego Union-Tribune).


2.  Metropolitan hazard mitigation planning.  The article mentions that the County of San Diego has a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. That seems like a noteworthy effort that other metropolitan areas, through the auspices of their respective council of governments, ought to take up.

3. Mitigation of the potential for wildfires in terms of watershed protection.  Flagstaff, Arizona is one of a few jurisdictions to look at management of the potential for wildfires as an element of watershed and water quality management. In 2012, they passed a bond issue to pay for mitigation. It was particularly noteworthy because much of the watershed lies outside of the city borders.

Santa Fe does this too ("Got water? Thank (and save) a forest," Santa Fe New Mexican).

-- Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project: Home

But 8 years later, $10 million turns out to not be enough, even though other property owners are matching this with funds of their own ("Flagstaff watershed protection reason to celebrate," Arizona Daily Sun).

And complications working with other public landowners, especially the US Forest Service, add cost and time to the execution of the plan as well. Plus just because they thin the forests doesn't always mean there's a profitable market for the lumber or sawmills to process it.

Note that large scale water authorities like the Baltimore City DPW, which serves the area counties also, do a similar kind of management of reservoir lands that they own, although out this way, they don't have to worry too much about wildfire.

And EPA has a Community-Based Water Resiliency Initiative, although who knows the status of this program under the current administration.

Chris Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, points to real-time traffic updates and other data being broadcast at the agency’s command center ahead of the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018. (Photo: Caitlin Dickson/Yahoo News)


4. Emergency management behind protests.  There was an interesting Yahoo News article ("How DC protects rallies like the March for Our Lives") on the emergency management behind the March of Our Lives protest in DC.

5.  Houston: hurricanes, wetlands, and development.  We know, post-Hurricane Harvey, that Houston has done a poor job of restricting development in areas that are likely to flood in the case of extreme weather events ("How Houston's unregulated growth contributed to Harvey's flooding," Washington Post).  Although to be fair, no system is designed, so far, to withstand getting 50 inches of rain in one week.

Tulsa offers a different path.  The city frequently experienced floods on the Tulsa River, many of which resulted in death and property damage. In 1984, after flooding which resulted in 14 deaths, the city created a Department of Stormwater Management and developed a Citywide Flood and Stormwater Management Plan, which provides for specific improvements across the city.

The primary focus of the plan is removing buildings from the flood plain and converting these spaces to greenways and parks as a way to absorb flooding while minimizing damage.  The plan has been frequently updated--another iteration is underway--and since 1990, no structure built before 1987 has been damaged by flooding.

-- From Roof Top to River: Tulsa's Approach to Floodplain and Stormwater Management

For building regulation, after Hurricane Andrew Florida toughened building regulations to deal better with the potential of hurricanes and high winds ("25 years later: How Florida buildings are better able to withstand Category 5 storms," ABC-TV) although South Florida needs to study the Hurricane Harvey incident and learn from it in terms of preparing for flooding ("What if Hurricane Harvey-type flooding hit South Florida?," Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel).