LOGAN – Over the vocal objections of affected residents, the Logan City government has decided to move ahead with the installation of a water main transmission line along Canyon Road in the Island neighborhood.
In a statement delivered at the regular meeting of the Municipal Council on Feb. 18, Mayor Holly Daines acknowledged that opposition.
But the final decision must be based on the design, cost and ease of construction of the controversial project, she argued, rather than sentiment over the fate of 17 old-growth ash trees along Canyon Road.
City officials have been working with J-U-B Engineers for three years to plan and develop the project, which calls for a 10-million gallon water tank to be installed near First Dam with a transmission line along Canyon Road to the west side of Logan.
Logan officials say that the project is needed to improve citywide water quality and delivery; to meet new state requirements for water system capacity; and to meet current and future drinking water and fire suppression needs.
While Canyon Road is torn up for the installation of the transmission line, city officials plan to install curbs and gutters, plus a sidewalk, a park strip and bike path, necessitating the removal of the aforementioned trees.
The city’s plan was opposed by an ad hoc citizens group calling itself the Canyon Road Coalition, which formed in October of 2024 when the project was publicly announced. They insisted the 17 trees slated for removal to make way for those improvements are vital to “the character and unique identity of the Island neighborhood.”
Throughout the heated controversy that led up to the mayor’s decision of Feb. 18, members of the opposition have argued that the Logan officials never seriously considered alternative routes for the water transmission line and were simply paying lip-service to their concerns.
Not so, according to Daines, who said that opting for the next best alternative route would require a 2.5 percent water rate increase for every household in the city and impact more properties.
She also stated that the city plans to plant more than 200 trees along the route of the water transmission to replace the 17 trees that are not in the best of health, with many of them showing signs of infections, decay and fractures.
When asked for a show of support for the mayor’s decision, city council members Mike Johnson, Amy Anderson and chair Jeanne Simmonds voted their approval. Council members Mark Anderson abstained and Ernesto Lopez was absent.
City officials predict that construction of the project will begin in spring, after the approval of its final budget by the Municipal Council.
Primary improvements will include construction of a 10-million gallon water storage tank near First Dam and 42-inch transmission waterline to convey water from Logan Canyon to areas west of Main Street (Highways 89/91).
Additional distribution mains will also be installed to provide backup water supplies to areas east of Main Street.
Improvements to the Canyon Road streetscape will include the installation of curbs and gutters, a sidewalk, a park strip and bike path.
For an overview of 1st Dam Storage Tank and Water Project, go online to https://www.loganutah.gov/government/departments/public_works/capital_projects.php