What is a watershed?

 

Red Butte Creek, part of the Jordan River Watershed, originates in the mountains of northeastern Salt Lake County. The Red Butte Reservoir, initially built to supply water to Fort Douglas, is currently used as a habitat for June sucker (Chasmistes liorus), an endangered species of fish endemic to Utah Lake and the Provo River. After exiting the canyon, the creek makes a rapid transition to built-out, urbanized land use through the University of Utah campus and into Salt Lake City before discharging into the Jordan River. Red Butte Creek is a Research Natural Area managed by the U.S. Forest Service to preserve its significant natural ecosystems for scientific and educational research.

 

 

GAMUT Environmental Observatories

GAMUT or ‘Gradients Along Mountain to Urban Transitions,’ aquatic and climate sensor stations measure and record climate, hydrology, and water quality along Red Butte Creek. These stations, along with similar stations in the Provo and Logan River form the backbone of a monitoring network that was designed to help researchers better understand issues related to water quality and quantity along the Wasatch Front in Utah. Current conditions can be downloaded and/or visualized online and are archived and accessible via Red Butte Creek, or through HydroShare, an online data repository.