A River Runs Through...Our Backyard (For Now)

The Murdock Canal (officially the Provo Reservoir Canal) flows behind our back yard. When we built our home we were initially concerned about safety issues. 22 years later we have come to consider the canal our own private river running through our backyard.

When spring runoff increases the flows in the Provo River the 22-mile canal begins to fill diverting Provo River water to farmers in northern Utah County and Salt Lake County (and in recent years municipal water in Salt Lake County).



The side benefit is we enjoy it all summer. Ducks live in the canal, people walk, run and bike along this stream, and we even hear the occasional "splash" as a dog walker unleashes a favorite pet for a dip. Sunday evenings often close with a leisurely stroll along the canal (Sydney and I especially like those).

My favorite part may be the beautiful sunsets we enjoy from our backyard and inside our home. We were working in the backyard tonight when I realized we had a beautiful sunset in the making on the "river." I raced in the house for the camera to capture the shot below.



Unfortunately for us, sunsets like the one above will be gone by the end of 2012.

The canal was built nearly 100 years ago and is currently owned by the Provo River Water Users Association. Water is the great currency of the West and the Provo River has many mouths to feed (water). Concerned about how to best utilize the limited Provo River water in a growing county, government, citizen and environmental groups recently agreed to enclose the canal in a project known as the Provo River Canal Enclosure Project. The enclosure will improve public safety, improve water quality, improve efficiencies in the operation and maintenance of the canal corridor and save seepage and evaporation losses. It was the water conservation aspect of the enclosure that won the support of Trout Unlimited and the Utah Rivers Council.

I attended the public hearings, which were well done. Though I'm disappointed about losing our backyard river, I support the conservation aspects of the enclosure.

The silver lining of the enclosure project is that once the canal is enclosed the surface will have improved walking, running, cycling, and equestrian paths. The improvements will include aesthetically pleasing landscaping that looked great from the drawings presented at the hearings.

Enjoy the sunsets while they last!