Mill Creek
Authored by Jess Lofland
Tin'go-u-pi was the Goshute’s name for Millcreek Canyon, meaning “rock trap.” It was a reference to a gorge and precipice in the canyon where game was surrounded and forced to leap to their death [01]. Ombit-o-pah was some indigenous peoples’ name for Mill Creek, according to Captain Stansbury’s 1849-50 survey [02]. It was later renamed by colonial settlers for the 20 mills along the creek [03].
By the 1990s, much of the creek was degraded. A user fee to get into the canyon was instituted at its mouth to repair facilities and restore the riparian ecosystem. In 2016, efforts removed culverts and a small dam that inhibited passage of Utah’s only indigenous trout, the Bonneville cutthroat [04].
In the Valley, the creek flows through Fitts Park, South Salt Lake’s largest green space--named after its first town president, Robert Fitts. Efforts are underway to enhance water quality, habitat value, and recreation along this stretch of creek. Downstream, the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility treats and discharges 50 to 60 million gallons of wastewater daily into the creek, just east of 900 West [05]. The creek between 900 West and its confluence with the Jordan River is considered a flood control levee on its north bank and highly managed. Efforts are underway to restore habitat value here and reimagine the Mill Creek Confluence.
Facts
Native Name: Ombit-o-pah or tin'go-u-pi (Millcreek Canyon) [Goshute]
Watershed Size: 36.9 square miles
Total Stream Length: 20.2 miles
Buried: 0.9 miles
Impaired: 8.4 miles
Water Quality Impairments: Dissolved oxygen, E. coli, and degraded aquatic habitat condition (observed-to-expected bioassessments)
Average Peak Flow: 50 cubic feet per second
Average Low Flow: 5 cubic feet per second
Cities: Millcreek and South Salt Lake
Population Count (2020): 81,813
Median Age (2020): 36
Diversity Index* (2020): 55
Housing Units (2020): 32,305
Owner-Occupied: 55%
Renter-Occupied: 40%
Median Household Income (2020): $65,687
Median Home Value (2020): $363,277
Housing Affordability Index** (2020): 104
My Mill Creek
An interactive website to immerse yourself in the Mill Creek watershed, and encourage exploration by reporting issues and publishing stories.
Sources
Chamberlin, Place and Personal Names of the Gosiute Indians of Utah (1913).
Stansbury, Map of the Great Salt Lake and Adjacent Country in the Territory of Utah (1852).
Salt Lake County, Stream Care Guide (2014).
Prettyman, Mill Creek cutthroat restoration project complete (2016).
Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility, About (2021).
Seven Canyons Trust, Creek Channel Alignment Data (2018).
Seven Canyons Trust, 100 Years of Daylighting (2014).
Utah Division of Water Quality, Beneficial Uses and Water Quality Assessment Map (2016).
Esri, Forecasts for 2020 and 2025 with converted Census 2000 data into 2010 geography using one-mile buffer to creek (2021).
*Likelihood two persons chosen at random belong to different race or ethnic groups, ranging from 0 (no diversity) to 100 (complete diversity).
**Ratio of median household income to median home value. A value of 100 means a typical family has exactly enough income to quality for a mortgage on a typical home. Above 100, the typical family earns more than enough and, below 100, they do not earn enough.
