Regarding the recent article about flooding in Salt Lake City in 1983: This reporting might have noted that one of the reasons Salt Lake City’s streets became rivers was because so many rivers were buried under those streets.
A short distance from our home, just east of Liberty Park, ditch-like traces of one of those streams could be seen on their way to Liberty Park. When the floods came, that stream rose from its small culvert confinement and flowed down 1300 South. Other streams farther south had been reduced to narrow canals, with homes and other developments crowding what should have been floodplains.
Utah’s farming pioneers treasured these streams. But later generations channeled, constrained, buried and forgot them. I recall some time later reading that O. C. Tanner had been recognized for — among other things — providing the city with a number of beautiful fountains. How ironic! Imagine a Salt Lake Valley with free-flowing and adequately protected waterways flowing from the mountains to the Jordan River.
Instead of vulnerable homes and businesses crowding those streams, we could have enjoyed parks and playgrounds designed to absorb high water.
Three Creeks Confluence Park is a good step. But these efforts need to extend to the Wasatch foothills. Good to know the Seven Canyons Trust is leading the way to “restore the buried and impaired creeks in the Salt Lake Valley.” These waterways had few voices 40 years ago. And those of us who saw the irony were reduced to wading to work and muttering to those who might listen. Hope we’ll all do better before the next big one.
Jim Pissot, Canmore, Alberta and Missoula, Montana
