Logan River Watershed Project

Project Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), with Cache Water District as the project Sponsor and Logan City, Hyde Park City, North Logan City, and Crockett Avenue Irrigation & Distribution System, Inc. as Co-sponsors, announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Logan River Watershed Project located in Cache County, Utah. The EIS process will examine alternative solutions to reduce water loss and increase efficiency in the current agricultural water delivery system, provide flood control and flood protection, and enhance recreational facilities. The full Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement can be found at the bottom of this page.

NRCS began an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed Project in late 2020. As the EA developed, the project team completed public and agency scoping, development of the initial design alternatives and review of those alternatives based on the purpose and need for the project. Based on programmatic project scale requirements, NRCS determined an EIS was necessary and is seeking further public comment to help determine the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be evaluated and included in the EIS. 

Written or emailed comments can be submitted through April 10, 2024 and should be directed to:

Mail:     Logan River Watershed Plan-EIS
c/o The Langdon Group
466 N. 900 W.
Kaysville, UT 84037

Email: loganriver@utwatershed.com 
 

Please note that all comments received previously during the Environmental Assessment scoping comment period in 2021 will be included and do not need to be resubmitted. Previous comments submitted can be reviewed in the Scoping Report at the bottom of this page. Water resource concerns and alternatives previously identified in the EA are shown below.

Following the public comment period, the planning process will continue to move forward with development of alternatives and the alternative analysis required for the EIS. The Draft EIS is anticipated to be available by fall 2025, which will include another public comment period. 

Project Objectives

• Provide flood control to the Cities of Logan, North Logan, and Hyde Park and portions of Cache County from flooding that occurs from large thunderstorms and rain on frozen ground events in the valley;
• Improve agricultural water management in the Crockett Avenue Irrigation and Distribution, Inc. (Crockett Avenue Irrigation Company) service area through improved efficiency, water conservation, and maintenance and enhancement of environmental conditions and beneficial water uses; and
• Enhance recreational opportunities within the project area.

Watershed planning is authorized under Public Law 83–566, the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954, as amended, and Public Law 78–534, the Flood Control Act of 1944.

Project Need―Current Resource Concerns
Flood Protection

• Aging and deteriorating flood channels
• Inadequate flood capacity through Logan, North Logan, and Hyde Park

This action is needed to increase stormwater capacity to divert and transport excess stormwater flows from existing canals and convey to natural drainages west of Logan, Utah. The existing irrigation canals in the past have been used to deliver both irrigation water and stormwater runoff that occurs during storm events. Recent population growth has converted permeable farmland into impermeable surfaces, and these changes have increased storm water runoff. The existing canals do not have adequate flow capacity to transport the additional stormwater produced by larger storm events.

Agricultural Water Management
Irrigation

• Inefficient water delivery and measurement systems
• Water loss in open ditches
• Limited irrigation water supply to users at the ends of the system

This action is needed to address deficiencies in the agricultural water delivery system in the area. The aging canal system loses water to seepage and evaporation. Additionally, the primary method of irrigation to agricultural lands in the valley is flood irrigation and the potential for improving irrigation water management is limited.

Water Supply

• Limited water resources
• Need to protect water rights through beneficial use
• Water system upgrades needed to address population growth

Improved efficiencies in the pressurization of water for secondary water systems (non-potable irrigation water for lawns and gardens) are needed to reduce strains on existing culinary water supplies for these growing communities with limited water resources. Environmental conditions and beneficial water uses need to be maintained and enhanced.

Water Management

• Deteriorating river diversion and other infrastructure

The irrigation infrastructure needs improvements as recent stormwater and flash floods have highlighted deficiencies in flood protection with high intensity runoff events overwhelming the existing diversion and canals. In particular, the Crocket Diversion dam is an aging piece of infrastructure originally built in 1860 and it currently poses hazards to the irrigation company and city staff operating the diversion, homeowners living around the structure, and the public. The structure also limits recreation and is a barrier to fish passage. Additionally, the Crockett Canal near Merlin Olsen Park is at risk of slope failure along the hillside.

Recreation

The project is further needed to enhance recreational facilities in the area. The rapidly growing area of Logan, North Logan, and Hyde Park has a limited trail system. Enhancements are needed to provide additional access points to the terrestrial and river trail systems to provide for safe and effective access for residents and visitors to nearby recreational facilities including U.S. Forest Service public lands and their existing trail systems.

Preliminary Proposed Action and Alternatives

The watershed-focused planning area is approximately 73,285 acres. NRCS will evaluate a minimum of two action alternatives and the no action alternative in the Draft EIS. NRCS will provide technical and financial assistance for the proposed project through the NRCS Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program, and NRCS will also design and implement a selected alternative. Possible alternatives are:

Alternative 1—No Action Alternative. Taking no action would consist of activities conducted if no federal action or funding were provided. The ten irrigation companies that comprise the Crockett Avenue Irrigation Company would continue to divert water from the Logan River at the Crockett Diversion dam 1.3 miles below First Dam.

To ensure operator safety at the Crockett Diversion dam, the Crockett Avenue Irrigation Company would necessarily rebuild the aging Crockett Diversion dam along the Logan River. To reduce the risk of slope failure along the hillside of the Crockett Canal near Merlin Olsen Park, they would also line 2500 feet of the Crockett Canal if the No Action Alternative is selected.

Water would continue to be distributed through the existing canal systems, and a pressurized pipe irrigation system and overflow structures would not be constructed. A recreational trail would not be built. The existing structures, besides the Crockett Diversion dam and a portion of the Crockett Canal, would continue to operate in their current condition and would not meet the purpose and need to provide flood control, improve agricultural water management, or enhance recreational opportunities.

Existing river conditions would continue, and no instream flows would be provided, especially during the summer, when flows are critical for maintaining water quality and a functional aquatic ecosystem. No federal action or funding would be associated with the No Action Alternative.

Alternative 2—First Dam Alternative. Alternative 2 would change the diversion location of the Crockett Avenue Irrigation Company’s water rights upstream from the existing Crockett Diversion dam to a new diversion at First Dam and would add an additional point of diversion downstream near the western end of the Logan River near N 3200 W. These two diversions would be used to pressurize a newly constructed pressurized irrigation system within the Crockett Avenue Irrigation Company’s service area in Logan, North Logan, Hyde Park, and Cache County that would reduce canal water losses and pumping requirements, as well as allow secondary water connections to residents in the service area.

The existing, unused Logan City lagoons would be converted to a secondary water storage reservoir, and three pump stations would be constructed, including a pump station to supply water to the storage reservoir from the diversion location along the western end of the Logan River and one pump station to supply water from the reservoir to the irrigation distribution system. The third pump station would pump additional water rights held by a canal company into the storage reservoir. A hydropower turbine would be installed at the storage reservoir and would allow for power generation to offset pumping costs during reservoir filling.

This alternative would remove the Crockett Diversion dam and replace it with a series of steps and pools to reduce safety hazards experienced by system operators, remove several homes and a school from the floodplain, benefit water quality, facilitate fish and recreational passage, and improve river aesthetics. The Providence Pioneer Irrigation Company’s Providence Pioneer diversion dam would also be removed, and their associated diversion would be supplied through the newly constructed pressurized irrigation system.

This alternative would secure and manage instream flows while recognizing existing water rights by maintaining an agreed upon amount of flow in the Logan River to the downstream diversion point during the irrigation season to improve river attainment of state water quality standards. Water would also be provided to the Little Logan Canal, including Merlin Olsen Park, the Cache County Fairgrounds, and Willow Park, during the irrigation season.

To control floodwaters that enter the Logan, Northern, Hyde Park, Logan North Field, and Logan Northwest Field Canals along the east side of Cache Valley between Logan City and Hyde Park City, a mixed piped and open channel overflow system would be constructed. The system would extend from approximately 1000 North to 2200 North and 950 East to 2400 West.

Additionally, approximately 3,500 feet of non-motorized trail would be constructed along the Crockett Canal’s right-of-way corridor and Canyon Road from 200 East to 600 East to connect an existing trail network to the nearby Forest Service–administered lands.

Alternative 3—Crockett Diversion Alternative. Alternative 3 would continue to supply a portion of the Crockett Avenue Irrigation Company’s water rights by diverting water at the current Crockett Diversion dam on the Logan River but would add an additional point of diversion for the remainder of the water rights downstream at a new location along the western end of the Logan River near N 3200 W, as in the Alternative 2.

The Crockett Diversion dam would be reconstructed, and a pump station would be constructed near the Crockett Diversion. The new diversion dam would address structural deficiencies and feature a lower crest elevation that would reduce safety hazards experienced by system operators, remove several homes and a school from the floodplain, benefit water quality, facilitate fish and recreational passage, and improve river aesthetics.

This alternative would also secure and manage instream flows by maintaining an agreed upon amount of flow in the Logan River to the downstream diversion point during the irrigation season and providing flow during the irrigation season to the Little Logan Canal, including Merlin Olsen Park, the Cache County Fairgrounds, and Willow Park, as in Alternative 2. Besides the diversion location changes and associated actions, the remainder of irrigation improvements (i.e., constructing pressurized irrigation distribution system; converting lagoons to secondary water storage reservoir; constructing pump stations; removing Providence Pioneer dam, etc.) and all the flood control and recreation improvements would be the same as Alternative 2.

 

Project Information

2021 EA Scoping Materials

Contact Information

Andy Neff —The Langdon Group / J-U-B ENGINEERS, Inc.
1047 S 100 W
Logan, Utah 84321
Phone: 435- 213-2872
Email: loganriver@utwatershed.com

Derek Hamilton —USDA-NRCS
125 S. State Street, Room 4010
Salt Lake City, UT 84138-1100
Phone: 801-524-4560
Email: derek.hamilton@usda.gov