November 2016 - GSL-Marina - mailman.xmission.com

Dredging - Breach Update
by Dave Shearer 17 Nov '16

17 Nov '16

Here is the latest word on Dredging and Breaching BREACH - the Breach is on. It WILL begin on December 1st. The breach will not be removed in one day but over a few days. To best explain the impact that this will have on lake levels it may be best to explain why the breach is happening. Union Pacific built a solid railroad causeway across the Great Salt Lake back in the 1950's. this was to replace the failing trestle that was built in 1902-1903. The causeway runs from Ogden to Promontory Point. Then from Promontory Point to the Lakeside over at the north tip of the Lakeside Mountains. The causeway originally had two small culverts large enough for a small motor boat to pass through. This was to allow the exchange of water and brine between the (now) two halves of Great Salt Lake. Almost all the fresh water comes into the south half of Great Salt Lake through three main tributaries; Bear River, Weber/Ogden River, and the Jordan River. During the floods of the 1980's the culverts were partially clogged with rock and other debris. Union Pacific built a 300' breach near Lakeside to allow a better exchange of fresh water north and brine south between the two halves of the lake in order to keep the lake in a healthy balance. A few years back Union Pacific applied for a permit to clog the two original culverts with the reason that they were in imminent danger of collapsing. The causeway is built on a soft lakebed and the causeway is slowly sinking. Army Corp of Engineers approved the clogging of the culverts with the understanding that a new breach, equaling the exchange of water of the original culverts, be built to maintain the exchange of water. Since then the lake has continued to drop and water is no longer flowing through the western breach over at Lakeside. This means that, while the southern half of the lake continues to receive spring runoff from the three main tributaries, the north half is getting almost no runoff but is suffering from evaporation. On a normal year there will be about six inches of difference in lake level between the south half of Great Salt Lake and the north half during the winter and about 1 foot during the summer. But with no water flowing into the north half of the lake and the effects of several years of drought the lake level disparity has now become much greater with the north half being 3.5 feet low than the south half. The breach is now built and Union Pacific WILL be tearing out the coffer dam separating the two halves on December 1st. USGS has estimated that the south half could drop 1 to 1.3 feet in elevation in three to five weeks. In reality no one quite knows how fast the exchange will be or how much the south half will really drop. It COULD be as much as 1.6 feet. The lake level bottomed out mid-October and has slowly begun to rise. We have come up 2/10ths of a foot since then are likely to come up 1/10th of a foot more before the breach starts draining the south half. It is likely we will reach a lake level near 4191.0' above sea level by the end of December. This does not leave much water left in the Great Salt Lake Marina. DREDGING - Dredging is on. The company awarded the contract will begin mobilizing equipment within the next few weeks but actual dredging is still some time off. There is a lot of work that needs to be done before the actual dredging process begins sometime mid-Winter. Before I go on I must explain that there is not enough money to dredge nearly as far as we need to in order to get the bulk of the boats back into the lake this late spring-early summer without a really good (above average) snowpack. Since the dredging process began a few years back we have had three lousy winter snowpacks with two of them being catastrophic for lake levels. And there is not enough money to dredge the whole marina. WE MUST HAVE A VERY GOOD SNOWPACK THIS YEAR to begin getting the bulk of the boats back in the water. The dredging company is still in the design phase but, AT THIS TIME, they think there is an 80% chance that they will not coffer dam the marina. This could still change and a coffer dam may be constructed. I will keep you posted. CRANE DAY - Crane Day is still scheduled for December 2nd. This is one day after the breaching of causeway. Time is of the essence to begin getting boats out before they are at substantial risk of being stuck in the mud. We have had quite a bit of interest in the crane day and we may need to crane boats over a two day period. This may mean starting crane work on December 1st or running into Saturday and paying overtime on the crane. We will do the best we can to accommodate those that want to come out. PLEASE RSVP NOW if you want to utilize the crane. There is a great deal of planning that needs to be done in order to have a safe and efficient crane day. I will keep you posted on any other developments as they come along. Thanks Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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Fw: We Lost the Battle, But Not The War
by Janet Robins 15 Nov '16

15 Nov '16

Please see below - if you can attend this afternoon TUESDAY at 3:00 pm your participation will be greatly appreciated! ________________________________ From: Utah Rivers Council <info=utahrivers.org(a)mail133.atl81.rsgsv.net> on behalf of Utah Rivers Council <info(a)utahrivers.org> Sent: Monday, November 14, 2016 4:26 PM To: Janet Robins Subject: We Lost the Battle, But Not The War [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/3e86be07a004e70a601c3568a/images/9885e72d-4fb…] <http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c3…> The Dust Has Settled Thanks to all the dedicated residents, students, and activists who led a huge effort to stop the creation of a Water District in Cache County. This was truly a case of a grassroots movement opposing a monied, special interest. The engineering company leading the effort was paid $1.3 million to start the Cache Water District. Ultimately, the residents of Cache County voted to implement a Water District by a vote of 57% to 43%, but the small margin by which the District passed illustrates the power of grassroots organizing in the face of well-funded public marketing campaigns and scare tactics. Through various GRAMA requests and community meetings, it became apparent there was a misinformation campaign being presented to the residents of Cache County. To combat this we revealed that JUB Engineering, a massive company who's website states they have a "thirst for water projects," was behind the creation of this Water District in an effort to advance the Bear River Water Grab. Throughout the summer and fall, URC held seminars, panel discussions and debates to engage the people of Cache County in the discussion. Countless people rose to the challenge and organized against the creation of a Water District in a very short time with little to no resources. Although the vote did not go the way we wanted, the URC is thrilled to see our grassroots growing. We connected with hundreds of conservationists, farmers, hunters, taxpayer advocates, academics and people of many different backgrounds that want to see the Bear River flow into the Great Salt Lake for future generations. This effort has solidified a great base for grassroots activism that will be vital to our opposition of the Bear River Water Grab in the years to come. We are extremely hopeful and optimistic for the future of this movement to save the Bear River. Stand With Us Tomorrow! In all struggles there will be ups and downs. No matter what happens on the national level, the best way to effect change is through local, grassroots campaigning. It is vital that we come together and hold our elected officials accountable for the decisions they make for the future of our rivers, lakes and beautiful landscapes of Utah. Tomorrow, Tuesday the 15th, there is a Water Development Commission meeting at the State Capitol. In this meeting water lobbyists will discuss the bills that fund the Bear River Water Grab and we need you there! Location: State Capitol in House Building Room 30 at 3:00 PM Come stand with us and lend your voice to the discussion. If you can't make it to the meeting, please donate <http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c35…> to the cause and join the Bear River Coalition by going to SaveTheBearRiver.org<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c35…>. Thank you for your help in the noble fight to protect the wonderful rivers and lakes of Utah. Donate Now<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c3…> [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/3e86be07a004e70a601c3568a/images/6e0c981e-886…] <http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c35…> [Facebook]<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c3…> [Twitter]<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c35…> [Website]<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c35…> Utah Rivers Council 1055 E 2100 S Ste 201 Salt Lake City, UT 84106 (801)486-4776 This email was sent to janet(a)thesafetyconsortium.com<mailto:janet@thesafetyconsortium.com> why did I get this?<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage1.com/about?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c3568a&i…> unsubscribe from this list<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c3…> update subscription preferences<http://utahrivers.us12.list-manage2.com/profile?u=3e86be07a004e70a601c3568a…> Utah Rivers Council · 1055 East 2100 South, Suite 204 · Salt Lake City, UT 84106 · USA [Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp]<http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…>

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TURKEY FEST
by Dave Shearer 14 Nov '16

14 Nov '16

Last call for reservations for this Saturday's Turkey Fest! I will, once again buy all the turkeys and deep fry them. But I need to know how many turkeys to buy so everyone gets fed. Please RSVP now if you plan to attend. Weather looks great but a bit cold. Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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Dredging - Crane Day
by Dave Shearer 14 Nov '16

14 Nov '16

Ok. Here is what I know so far About dredging and Crane Day. The railroad causeway breach looks all but certain. It appears that that Union Pacific will breach the causeway on or near December 1st. As of today there is 3.2 feet of difference between the north half and the south half of the lake with the south half being higher. USGS estimates that we will lose 1 foot to 1.3 feet of water on the south half of the lake. I think it is more likely we could lose 1.3 feet to 1.6 feet. That will put 2 to 4 (max) water in the south basin. We had a boat with a 4.5 foot draft who wanted to drop his mast last Saturday. He was stuck in his slip. It took over 5 minutes with RESCUE ONE to pull him out of his slip. And we pulled him most of the way through mud to the crane out slip. So what does your boat draw? If you are still in the water I HIGHLY recommend you get your boat out before the breach. It looks like we will be dredging starting sometime in January. I do not know what method they will use to dredge but I can tell you that the bid came back as coffer dam / dry dredging. This means that they would dam up the mouth of the marina, pump all the water out of the marina leaving the marina dry. They would then let the mud dry out and then begin dry dredging with heavy equipment. This process would take several months but would likely allow us to dredge deeper than wet suction dredging. A coffer dam would require ALL the boats be removed from the marina. Three bad winters and the breach have had and will have a very serious impact on water levels inside the marina EVEN AFTER dredging. We absolutely need a weather pattern change in order get boats back in the marina next summer. I am scheduling a crane day on Friday, December 2nd to start pulling boats of people who want out NOW before the breach has its huge impact on lake levels. Please let me know if you want to pull. I need to know if you have a trailer or if you will be getting stands or cradles. And, before I get emails about how much water is at the launch ramp, there is NOT enough water over there. And pray for snow! Lots of it! Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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CRANE DAY - Dredging
by Dave Shearer 11 Nov '16

11 Nov '16

I am still trying to finalize crane details. We could possibly do one next Friday or the first Friday of December. Opinions? Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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OFFICIAL DREDGING NEWS
by Dave Shearer 08 Nov '16

08 Nov '16

It is OFFICIAL now. The dredging process is going to begin early January. I do not know all the details yet as to how deep we will be able to go and whether the coffer dam will be the method. But we need to plan on the coffer dam being the method. It will allow us to go deeper than suction dredging. Therefore all boat owners should begin planning on pulling their boats out. A coffer dam WILL require ALL boats be removed from the water. We will plan on having a couple crane days starting ASAP while the weather is still good. Please start planning on removing your boat. Please start signing up for crane days. If plans change in the next short while I will let you know. As for details on how deep we will be able to go I will let you know ASAP. I expect to have more details very shortly. Thanks Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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Breach & Dredging Update
by Dave Shearer 08 Nov '16

08 Nov '16

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. I have just been informed that the breach scheduled for early December is most likely going to happen on schedule. It is unlikely the breach will be held off any longer. This is not OFFICIAL news yet but it is likely that the breach is on schedule. We are at a lake level of 4192.4 today. We have stopped dropping (because of evaporation) for the year and have actually come up 0.2 feet since our low in October. But the breach is likely to drop us 1 foot to 1.5 feet; possibly more. On a positive note I have heard whispers that plans to dredge, regardless of the breach, may still be on. I must caution that these are just whispers but it is a much more positive tone than what I was hearing a few weeks ago. Yet it is a real possibility that a coffer dam may be built if we dredge. This means all the boats would have to be pulled from the marina and all the water pumped out. I do not know if we will be dredging but I am feeling a tad more positive about it. Now, after I have said all that, we really need a very wet winter. I have had a few people ask about whether we will have another crane day soon. Considering the likelihood of breaching now I would like to see what interest there is in a crane day to get boats out before we start hitting historic lows in December/January. Please let me know. Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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Turkey Fest
by Dave Shearer 04 Nov '16

04 Nov '16

Apparently I forgot to mention what time we will be serving food at the Turkey Fest. We will be serving promptly at 4pm. Keep those RSVP's coming. Hope to see you all there. Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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Water to Docks
by Dave Shearer 01 Nov '16

01 Nov '16

For those that are still in the water and Great Salt Lake Row. We will be turning off the water to the docks early next week. The pump-a-head dock will also be shut down for the winter. There will still be water at the top of the ranger dock though. Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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Dave's Annual Turkey Social!
by Dave Shearer 01 Nov '16

01 Nov '16

I hope all had a great Halloween. Now it is time to think Thanksgiving. And of course the Annual Dave's Turkey Social. I believe this will be the 22nd year of this event. It has become the second largest event at the marina and always has incredible food. This year's Turkey Social is Saturday, November 19th at the Great Salt Lake Marina pavilion. I will, once again, be serving Deep Fried Turkeys. If you haven't tried deep fried turkey yet you are missing an incredible treat. PLEASE RSVP asap so I know how many turkeys to deep fry. Side dishes are not a must but are always welcome. Some of the big hits are: Garlic mashed potatoes Green bean casserole Pumpkin pie or any kind of pie Stuffing Cranberry sauce Mashed potatoes Bread or rolls Anything else you might like to bring and share. This event is open to the WHOLE marina community and guests you would like to bring. This event is free. Come out and see old friends while having an early Thanksgiving dinner. PLEASE RSVP to dshearer(a)gslmarina.com <mailto:dshearer@gslmarina.com> Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

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