Utah County puts agricultural-protection zone in path of Provo river delta

The Utah County Commission voted 2-0 Tuesday to create an agricultural protection zone in west Provo, where the federal Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission has proposed creating a new, June sucker-friendly outlet for the river. The delta, a fan of sediment with meandering channels and pools, would offer warm, shallow water and plants that would serve as a nursery for June sucker larvae. Utah Lake is its only native habitat. But critics say the project will destroy farmland by both turning land into a swamp while diverting water away from other landowners. The agricultural protection zone won’t necessarily stop the project, proponents say. It will force the federal government to conduct additional public meetings and require a commission vote to lift the zone...more