Red Butte Creek
Encyclopedia
Red Butte Creek is a small stream whose headwaters are found in the northeast part of Salt Lake County. It flows west through the Red Butte Garden and Arboretum
, by the University of Utah
, Fort Douglas
and flows southwesterly through Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park
before forming a confluence with the Jordan River
. Consisting of 7.25 mi2 of watershed, Red Butte Canyon is the smallest canyon of the seven canyons in eastern Salt Lake County. Its elevation ranges from 5000 foot above sea level.
. A wooden railroad was considered to transport the sandstone to the temple site, but the idea was abandoned in 1855, when it was decided to construct the Temple with granite located in Little Cottonwood Canyon
. A monument constructed along the creek in the city’s Yalecrest neighborhood commemorates Salt Lake’s early pioneers drowning sacks of Mormon cricket
s in the creek during that era’s notable infestation.
The first major use of Red Butte Creek water was by the United States Army
at Fort Douglas, which was established at the mouth of the canyon in 1862. This utilization of water outside the canyon had little effect on the canyon itself, as U.S. Army administrators worked over many years to protect the watershed
and water quality. In fact, protection has grown steadily since Fort Douglas was first established and particularly since the canyon was acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in 1969 and declared to be a Research Natural Area.
Red Butte Creek was used for irrigation
by a few pioneers east of Salt Lake City in the early 1850s. When Fort Douglas was established in 1862, Army personnel initially depended mostly on water from nearby springs. However, by 1875 Army personnel constructed two reservoirs east of Fort Douglas and diverted water from Red Butte Creek to fill them. In response to the recurrent stream pollution problems caused by quarrying activities, the Territory District Court, in 1890, declared that the waters of Red Butte Creek were the sole property of the U.S. Army and under the jurisdiction of Fort Douglas. Also in 1890, the U.S. Congress passed a law to protect the water supply of Fort Douglas. This law prevented any sale of land in the canyon or further watershed development. In 1906 the Army built a dam on Red Butte Creek to supply additional water for Fort Douglas. The present dam was constructed between 1928 and 1930, and the reservoir provided water for Fort Douglas until its closure in 1991.
Red Butte Creek is a perennial third-order stream without upstream regulation or diversion until flow is collected in the reservoir located near the base of the canyon. The stream has created a narrow-based canyon with sides rising abruptly at an average slope of about 35 degrees to the north and about 40 degrees to the south.
The 1982–83 winter was one of unusually high precipitation along the Wasatch Front. Heavy snows in mid-May 1983 were followed by equally unusual warm temperatures at the end of the month. As a consequence, stream flow rates peaked at record values, On 28 May 1983, Red Butte Creek crested at a discharge rate exceeding 2.97 m (9.7 ft) per second (stream flow was above the maximum gage height), and overland flow was substantial, This was by far the greatest discharge rate in recent times, having eclipsed the previous maximum single day rate of 1.7 m (5.6 ft) per second measured on 18 May 1975.
. The Utah Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported 400 endangered June sucker
fish were planted in the reservoir and they are thriving in 1994.
into Red Butte Creek. A ruptured pipeline owned by Chevron Corporation
burst on the creek, outside Red Butte Garden and Arboreteum. The spill was stopped by the afternoon, but not before the petroleum reached the Jordan River. Affected wildlife were transported to Hogle Zoo
for treatment.
Red Butte Garden and Arboretum
Red Butte Garden and Arboretum is a botanical garden and arboretum operated by the University of Utah, in the foothills of the Wasatch Range in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. It is open year-round to the public. Red Butte Garden contains of botanical gardens and several miles of hiking trails through...
, by the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, Fort Douglas
Fort Douglas, Utah
Camp Douglas was established in October 1862 as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, for the purpose of protecting the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In 1878, the post was renamed Fort Douglas. The fort was officially...
and flows southwesterly through Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park
Liberty Park
Liberty Park is a popular public urban park in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the city's second-largest public park, at , being surpassed only by Sugarhouse Park which has...
before forming a confluence with the Jordan River
Jordan River (Utah)
The Jordan River in the U.S. state of Utah is a river about long. Regulated by pumps at its headwaters at Utah Lake, it flows northward through the Salt Lake Valley and empties into the Great Salt Lake. Four of Utah's five largest cities—Salt Lake City, West Valley City, West Jordan and...
. Consisting of 7.25 mi2 of watershed, Red Butte Canyon is the smallest canyon of the seven canyons in eastern Salt Lake County. Its elevation ranges from 5000 foot above sea level.
History
During the early 1850s Red Butte Canyon was considered as a source of red sandstone to construct the LDS Salt Lake TempleSalt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
. A wooden railroad was considered to transport the sandstone to the temple site, but the idea was abandoned in 1855, when it was decided to construct the Temple with granite located in Little Cottonwood Canyon
Little Cottonwood Canyon
Little Cottonwood Canyon lies within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest along the eastern side of the Salt Lake Valley, roughly 15 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah. The canyon is part of Granite, a CDP and “Community Council” designated by Salt Lake County. The canyon is a glacial trough , carved by...
. A monument constructed along the creek in the city’s Yalecrest neighborhood commemorates Salt Lake’s early pioneers drowning sacks of Mormon cricket
Mormon cricket
The Mormon cricket is a large insect that can grow to almost three inches in length. They live throughout western North America in rangelands dominated by sagebrush and forbs....
s in the creek during that era’s notable infestation.
The first major use of Red Butte Creek water was by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
at Fort Douglas, which was established at the mouth of the canyon in 1862. This utilization of water outside the canyon had little effect on the canyon itself, as U.S. Army administrators worked over many years to protect the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
and water quality. In fact, protection has grown steadily since Fort Douglas was first established and particularly since the canyon was acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in 1969 and declared to be a Research Natural Area.
Red Butte Creek was used for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
by a few pioneers east of Salt Lake City in the early 1850s. When Fort Douglas was established in 1862, Army personnel initially depended mostly on water from nearby springs. However, by 1875 Army personnel constructed two reservoirs east of Fort Douglas and diverted water from Red Butte Creek to fill them. In response to the recurrent stream pollution problems caused by quarrying activities, the Territory District Court, in 1890, declared that the waters of Red Butte Creek were the sole property of the U.S. Army and under the jurisdiction of Fort Douglas. Also in 1890, the U.S. Congress passed a law to protect the water supply of Fort Douglas. This law prevented any sale of land in the canyon or further watershed development. In 1906 the Army built a dam on Red Butte Creek to supply additional water for Fort Douglas. The present dam was constructed between 1928 and 1930, and the reservoir provided water for Fort Douglas until its closure in 1991.
Red Butte Creek is a perennial third-order stream without upstream regulation or diversion until flow is collected in the reservoir located near the base of the canyon. The stream has created a narrow-based canyon with sides rising abruptly at an average slope of about 35 degrees to the north and about 40 degrees to the south.
Hydrology
The average monthly discharge from 1964 to 1988 was 0.133 m (0.436351706036745 ft) per second as it enters the reservoir at 1646 m (5,400.3 ft) elevation. The stream flow exhibits a straightforward annual pattern, characteristic of this geographic region-high spring flows driven by snowmelt followed by very much reduced flows derived from groundwater throughout the remainder of the year. Spring melt flow, which is typically an order of magnitude greater than other periods of the year, peaks in May and persists for six to eight weeks. The average monthy stream flow rate during May is 0.416 m (1.4 ft) per second . By September, the lowest average monthly flow rate, stream discharge has decreased to 0.058 m (0.190288713910761 ft) per second . Mean stream flow rates do not increase during the summer months, although nearly one-fourth of the annual precipitation falls during this period. Average monthly stream flow values, however, hide much of the stream dynamics and resultant impact on riparian vegetation. On a daily basis, stream flows can vary tremendously during snowmelt, depending on air temperatures and snowpack depth,primarily that of upper Red Butte Canyon and Knowltons Fork.The 1982–83 winter was one of unusually high precipitation along the Wasatch Front. Heavy snows in mid-May 1983 were followed by equally unusual warm temperatures at the end of the month. As a consequence, stream flow rates peaked at record values, On 28 May 1983, Red Butte Creek crested at a discharge rate exceeding 2.97 m (9.7 ft) per second (stream flow was above the maximum gage height), and overland flow was substantial, This was by far the greatest discharge rate in recent times, having eclipsed the previous maximum single day rate of 1.7 m (5.6 ft) per second measured on 18 May 1975.
Ecosystem
The canyon is managed by the U.S. Forest Service as a protected reserve and is gated to prevent public access. This makes this watershed the most pristine area along the Wasatch FrontWasatch Front
The Wasatch Front is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. It consists of a chain of cities and towns stretched along the Wasatch Range from approximately Santaquin in the south to Brigham City in the north...
. The Utah Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported 400 endangered June sucker
June sucker
The June sucker, Chasmistes liorus, is an endangered species of fish endemic to Utah Lake and the Provo River, where it is now under protection. It is a member of the sucker family Catostomidae, and occurs in sympatry with the benthic Utah sucker Catostomus ardens.Unlike most other suckers, the...
fish were planted in the reservoir and they are thriving in 1994.
Chevron pipeline oil spill
On the morning of June 12, 2010 nearly 33,000 gallons of petroleum spilledOil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
into Red Butte Creek. A ruptured pipeline owned by Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
burst on the creek, outside Red Butte Garden and Arboreteum. The spill was stopped by the afternoon, but not before the petroleum reached the Jordan River. Affected wildlife were transported to Hogle Zoo
Hogle Zoo
Utah's Hogle Zoo is a zoo located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the state's largest zoo, housing animals from diverse ecosystems. It is located at the mouth of Emigration Canyon....
for treatment.