Early Utah pioneer Heber C. Kimball is credited with naming the Jordan River soon after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. According to the historical website onlineutah.com, “(Kimball) noted the resemblance to the Middle Eastern River of the same name: a river flowing from a fresh water lake through fertile valleys to a dead sea.”

The website goes on to explain how the Jordan River was critical to the valley’s early development, as granite blocks were floated on it for constructing the Salt Lake Temple. Later, logs and ties were also floated in the river for use on the Central Utah Railroad.

The river we’re all familiar with – but relatively few ever visit to picnic or recreate – has a noble, historical past. Unfortunately, the waterway’s less-noble past has left the Jordan River with a lingering, negative impression for many.

“Almost from the beginning of settlement, the communities of Utah and Salt Lake valleys used the Jordan to carry waste and sewage away to the Great Salt Lake,” the website continues. “Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s the Jordan continued to be used as a waste disposal canal for area slaughterhouses, packing plants, mineral reduction mills and laundries.”

That’s quite the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reputation for one modest, 40-mile river. Now, Salt Lake County is spearheading an effort to make improvements along a midvalley section of the waterway, as it touches Taylorsville and four other cities.

Leading the county effort is Central Jordan River Reconnect Project Manager Dustin Wiberg.

“We are focusing this project on the 7-mile Jordan River section from 2100 South to 5400 South,” Wiberg explains. “In that area, the Jordan touches Taylorsville, Murray, West Valley City, Millcreek and South Salt Lake. That’s also where three key tributaries run into the river: Millcreek, Big Cottonwood Creek and Little Cottonwood Creek.”

Little Cottonwood Creek enters the Jordan River in Taylorsville, near 700 W. 4800 South. A 9-acre area there, called Little Confluence Open Space, features hundreds of cottonwoods and willows planted in recent years. As snowmelt from Alta and Snowbird Ski Resorts enter the Jordan, the confluence area features a nature trail, boat ramp and picnic pavilion.

Wiberg and his group hope their Central Jordan River Reconnect project can lead to more areas like this.

“We’re still at the information gathering stage of the project; so, I’m not sure what river improvement ideas may come from it,” he said. “As a byproduct of this effort, one thing we hope to do is help with the homeless issue along the river. When we began taking public comments, one of the first things we heard from people is that they won’t take their kids to recreate along the Jordan River because homeless encampments make them feel unsafe.”

Reconnect project volunteers say the equation is pretty simple: if more and more people start to find reasons to recreate at the Jordan River, it will make the area a less secluded and isolated area for people to create homeless encampments.

Kristie Overson has been a member of the Jordan River Commission since becoming Taylorsville mayor seven years ago. She’s not yet heard a lot about the goals related to the Reconnect project. But she is aware Jordan River homeless encampments remain an ongoing challenge for city police.

“Dealing with the homeless situation along our section of the Jordan River this year has been about the same as in years past,” Overson said. “I’m all for raising awareness about the river. That kind of positive foot traffic will help encourage people in homeless encampments to go elsewhere. I am a bike enthusiast and love to ride on the Jordan River trail.”

Overson reports city police officers also ride bikes on the trail to patrol it.

“I also hope this Reconnect project focuses on better connecting neighborhoods to the river,” she added. “I want them to identify places where trails can be developed or improved, connecting to the Jordan River trail. The river needs to be accessible for more people than just those living right next to it. I support any effort to open it up to more visitors.”

Some of the first public steps taken to gather information for the Central Jordan River Reconnect project came earlier this fall through a series of five community workshops. From Oct. 28 through Nov. 14, open house meetings were held in each of the five cities touched by the river in the area. The Taylorsville County Library branch meeting was held Nov. 13.

Jordan River Commission Executive Director Soren Simonsen was also actively involved in those meetings.

“The county is just at the beginning of this process, so we aren’t yet sure what recommendations for the river will come out of it yet,” Simonsen said. “We are pleased with the leadership from the Salt Lake County Council to move this project forward. This planning is coming at a critical time and on a very important stretch of the Jordan River.”

The Jordan River Commission was formed in 2010 and Simonsen has been its executive director since 2017. All totaled, from Saratoga Springs to North Salt Lake, the Jordan River touches 16 cities in three counties. Representatives from all those cities (including Overson) serve on the commission, along with others from the state, county, public utilities, conservation groups and other key stakeholders.

Wiberg reports another thing being considered now is whether, and to what extent, some of the historic Jordan River “meanders” could potentially be restored through this effort.

“When you compare aerial photos of the Jordan River through this area from the 1930s to the 1970s, you can easily see several areas where the river was straightened,” Wiberg said. “It used to meander a ton – which is what rivers want to do. But over time, as development came, there was more of an effort to control it. We’ve since learned the meanders create more wetlands and provide more flood protection during destructive storm events.”

Wiberg admits, rerouting any portions of the Jordan River will create challenges because roughly half of all the acreage touching the river in this area is privately owned. There are no plans to try to acquire private acreage bordering the Jordan as a part of this project. But, to whatever extent river meanders might be reintroduced on city, county or state land, the possibility is being investigated.

Work on this 14-month Central Jordan River Reconnect project began last summer. Officials hope to have a final written improvements proposal, complete with cost estimates, available by August.

If you missed the community workshop meetings several weeks ago, public comments can still be made through the project website, centraljordanreconnect.com. You can also learn more at jordanrivercommission.gov or myjordanriver.org. λ