Bear River dam sit propsed
The longest tributary, the Great Salt Lake, faces the possibility of a dam.
Representatives from the Utah Rivers Council, an organization seeking protection for Utah’s remaining free-flowing rivers, held an open house Oct. 2 at Logan’s Whittier Center to drum up opposition against the proposed dam site in Amalga on the Bear River. Both Logan Municipal Council member Steve Thompson and Randy Simmons, political science department head attended the open house.
Amanda Thimmes, who earned a master’s degree in public policy at Utah State University, is the River Council’s Bear River organizer. She recently opened an office in Cache Valley.
Thimmes talked about some of the dangers of building a dam on the Bear River. She said there is a national ordinance stating there is to be a zero net loss of wetlands.
In other words, if a wetland is lost, one must be restored, reclaimed or built elsewhere, she said. With a saline or saltwater wetland, the task is much more difficult.
“You can’t do that with a saline wetland,” Thimmes said.
According to the Rivers Council’s displays, the dam will impact Cache Valley in the following ways:
After the dam is completed, the rising water level will destroy 15 miles of farms and thousands of acres of ranches. It will destroy Shoshone burial sites and the water drainage systems of Tremonton and surrounding communities. The Bear River will dry up and a bird refuge area will be destroyed.
“We get a lot of birds you don’t get anywhere else,” Thimmes said.
Logan city Mayor Doug Thompson is opposed to having another dam in Cache Valley.
“It’s extremely expensive,” he said. “The Malad and Honeyville sites make more sense.”
The Rivers Council still needs support to oppose building the dam.
“Right now we’re trying to find a sponsor, someone who can bring other groups in that can help de-authorize the Amalga Dam,” Thimmes said.