SPU’s 2023 Value Study

In response to community feedback, SPU recently engaged a group of outside experts in stormwater management, geomorphology and other areas to take an in-depth look at the Taylor Creek Restoration Project: the problems the project seeks to solve, the unique features of Dead Horse Canyon and the concerns raised by SPU’s original desire to build a road through the Canyon.

Friends of Dead Horse Canyon had two opportunities to meet with the Taylor Creek Project’s Value Study team and hear their assessments and recommendations. We’re very pleased with the results of the work done by the Value Study Team, and appreciate their rigorous and comprehensive analysis of the issues presented by this project, as well as the innovation and imagination they brought to their examination of the project’s challenges.

The Draft Value Study Report is available on SPU’s Taylor Creek Restoration Project page, where information about community engagement opportunities can also be found.

The Value Study Team was made aware that the community strongly opposes the construction of a road for the delivery of materials, and that SPU has already eliminated the option that involves building a road through the entirety of Dead Horse Canyon. Instead, the team’s recommendations included using helicopter delivery, managing stormwater in neighborhoods surrounding Dead Horse Canyon, and a range of alternative ideas aimed at controlling erosion, retaining sediment and increasing the area’s resilience while minimizing construction impact and emphasizing efficiency in materials delivery.

SPU’s intention is that the ideas and recommendations generated by the Value Study Team will lead to the formulation of up to three new sediment management strategies for the project.