On Aug. 29, the Get To The River Festival kicked off at Porter's Landing boat takeout in North Salt Lake. This event kickstarted the events put on by the festival, with over 50 opportunities for people to celebrate by the river. The theme of this year's festival is "Our River, Our Future," which is fitting, as this year marks the 15-year anniversary of the Jordan River Commission, an organization largely responsible for many of the remarkable upgrades to this riparian community.

Millcreek City Councilmember Silvia Catten first joined the commission to represent Millcreek in 2018 and has been serving as the chair of the Jordan River Commission Governing Board. During the Aug. 25 council meeting, she highlighted the successes of the committee over their 15 years. Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini applauded the efforts of Catten and the commission, acknowledging that the idea of a trail like this "was a dream" until they made it reality.

While many residents use the Jordan River Parkway daily now, the system of trails would have once never seemed possible given the river's condition or scale. The Jordan River extends for 51 miles flowing north. Its stream is comprised of seven major tributary systems and it drains water from Utah Lake into the Great Salt Lake.

The river was home to Indigenous people thousands of years ago who called it "Pia Okwai," which in the Newe Taikwa language which means "big river" or "big flow." The original name was fitting, as the river was over five times larger than it is today. But after Mormon pioneers arrived in the valley, they renamed it the Jordan River, a reference to the similar water pattern present in the River Jordan in the Middle East.

For many decades the river was neglected and was used as a dumping ground for waste. Industrial waste and garbage alike were commonly disposed of in the river until 1973 when the Utah State Legislature created the Provo-Jordan River Parkway Authority to improve river conditions.

Despite this, the river and its surrounding environment continued to be polluted and experienced disruptions due to its falling water levels. As a result, between 2007 and 2008 Envision Utah worked with over 3,000 participants to create BluePrint Vision, a plan for revitalizing the surrounding area and watershed. A component of this was a temporary committee with representatives from each of the 18 jurisdictions along or affected by the river. The Blueprint Jordan River Implementation Committee facilitated the creation of the 2010 Interlocal Agreement, that formed the beginnings of the Jordan River Commission we see today.

Today, the commission works to make the Jordan River and its parkway places where people congregate and can enjoy wildlife right in the heart of their communities. The Interlocal Cooperation Agreement names seven goals the commission prioritizes its focus on, including developing recreation access, securing funding for acquisition of more critical habitat space, and promoting use of the river.

A highlight of their restoration project is the Jordan River Channel Repair Project at Winchester Street, which eliminated one of the most hazardous navigation barriers along the water. The project was completed in 2015, and has improved fish, plant and bird habitat by providing a stable channel for moving watercraft at any flow. 

The river’s habitats are necessary to accommodate natural wildlife, but also serve as a critical resting site for migratory birds on their way to Central America. The Big Bend Habitat Restoration Area in West Jordan is aiming to take on this issue, by restoring 70 acres of migratory bird and wildlife habitat through reconnecting the floodplain with the river. This can be done through the construction of a new meandering channel and wetlands, and upon its completion, a mile of river channel will be restored to support these animals, as well as urban fisheries, wetlands, riparian habitat and upland habitat. Additionally, this restoration will improve water quality by reducing the degree of sediment and organic matter being eroded by the river.

Improving the land for wildlife makes the land and water better for everybody, and part of Get To The River Fest is to teach the public about the ecosystems that surround them. The commission has worked to improve the community's access to learning about the wildlife outside of the festival, and many of the new boat ramps, boardwalks and recreation areas are equipped with signs with facts about the wildlife and history of the river and surrounding areas. 

In September there are Get To The River events on many days and will feature a variety of conservation, recreation, arts, social and educational experiences. Check out the calendar of scheduled events for the festival here, and learn more about the Jordan River Commission and its work to revitalize the river here.