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The interactive map below shows the East Canyon Creek Watershed (black outline) within the larger Weber Watershed (gray). Streams within the ECC Watershed are highlighted. Light blue streams are intermittent, running for only part of the year, red stream segments have chronic low flows, and orange segments experience summer dewatering. Darker blue streams function as normal.
In April 2021, Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter installed two Chronologs! As the first Chronologs in Utah, these mounted brackets allow community scientists to contribute to and view time lapses.
The Chronolog at the Swaner Kiosk on Highland Drive allows the conservation team to monitor changes in vegetation and snowpack. The second Chronolog on the Stealth trail overlooks beaver dam analogs on East Canyon Creek and will track changes in stream flow and shape over time.
Contribute to this community science project by snapping a photo at one of Swaner's Chronolog stations!
The Swaner Kiosk
This location overlooks the 850-acre wetland parcel within the Preserve and the Park City ridgeline. A large amount of the restoration work occurs in this immediate area - note the pink flags that appear in September 2024 that mark hundreds of pollinator plants from UDAF's Utah Pollinator Habitat Program!
This Chronolog is located at the edge of a gravel parking area with nearby benches. The parking area can be accessed along Highland Drive, the southern frontage road along Interstate 80. Parking, transit, and bikeshare information to the nearby EcoCenter can be found here.
The Swaner BDAs
Check out the ongoing changes from Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) on East Canyon Creek! More information about these BDAs can be found on the Past Projects tab. Along with BDAs, Swaner staff and volunteers plant hundreds of willows and other woody vegetation along the banks of East Canyon Creek each year to improve shading and habitat along the riparian area.
This Chronolog is located approximately 0.4 miles from the Spring Creek Trailhead along a singletrack packed dirt and rock trail. Behind the Chronolog is a bench and first uphill switchback. Trail maps for the surrounding area can be found here.
To use the Utah Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Dashboard, first click Water Name, scroll down to East Canyon Creek and select ONLY to deselect all other waterbodies. The dashboard is set up to automatically show water temperature data, but feel free to change these parameters to suit your needs. Additionally, you can select a point on the map to get information for a particular location. Alternatively, opening the dashboard to a new tab using the button in the top right will have ECC already preselected.
Also note that this dashboard features historical data from data loggers which you can find by clicking the number 4 on the left-hand side. You may have to reselect East Canyon Creek as the waterbody.
Below are relevant studies on East Canyon Creek that may be of interest.
svap_1 (2).pdfThis first study, East Canyon Stream Visual Assessment, was completed in August 2001-2002. The East Canyon Steering Committee conducted an inventory on East Canyon Creek following the Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (SVAP). SVAP was developed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water and Climate Center. The protocol is intended to be a simple, comprehensive assessment of stream condition that maximizes ease of use. The protocol is the first level in hierarchy of stream assessments. It can be used to identify additional need for more accurate in-depth assessments. This protocol takes a visual look at all aspects of stream condition (chemical, physical, and biological). These assessments can be used to prioritize the needs for technical and financial assistance within a watershed.
In addition to the SVAP inventory, a Stream Erosion Condition Inventory developed by the Idaho NRCS was conducted at the same time. Photography was also used as a part of the inventory. 40 miles of stream were inventoried using these methods running from East Canyon Creek’s confluence with the Weber River in Morgan to just outside of Park City. Coordination with over 115 different private landowners occurred prior to the field work portion of the inventory to gain permission to trespass.
The Assessment of East Canyon Creek Tributaries was completed in 2004. Five of the seven major tributaries, McLeod Creek, Spring Creek, Three Mile Creek, Two Mile Creek, and Toll Creek, were assessed for bank and channel conditions, and riparian vegetation in order to determine sources of water quality impairments that could be addressed with restoration projects. The two other major tributaries, Kimball Creek and Willow Draw, were previously assessed in 2001 and 1999, respectively.
ASSESSMENT OF EAST CANYON CREEK TRIBUTARIES.docPage updated
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