Open Letter to Local Governments, Permitting Authorities, and the Bear Lake Commission

February 2026

To the officials responsible for land-use approvals, building permits, and stormwater compliance in Rich County, Garden City, Laketown, and the Bear Lake Commission:

My name is Darren Eastman, a fifth-generation resident of the Bear River Valley, known locally as the Bear Lake OG, the one who ushered in contractor licensing requirements in Garden City in the early 90's.

The Bear Lake Comprehensive Management Plan (updated February 2022) includes an Action Plan that recommends stormwater management plans, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) compliance, and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for lakeside development to reduce runoff impacts. These recommendations are grounded in existing federal Clean Water Act requirements administered through Utah’s Utah Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (UPDES) program.

In practice, most lakeside construction projects proceed without any SWPPP implementation or verification whatsoever and some small local contractors flat out oppose the idea as demonstrated in my 2024 Federal Environmental Whistleblower Case against a local contractor. This situation results in sediment and nutrient runoff entering Bear Lake directly from impervious surfaces and development sites, contributing to water quality concerns and the risk of algae blooms that affect the lake’s clarity and ecological health.

While Bear Lake's local environmental group and its community members focus primarily on the agriculture industry's upstream pollution sources in the Bear River, ignoring their own backyard. BearLakeutah.com and its members direct attention to the lakeshore reality on non-compliance.

The "Bear Lake Comprehensive Plan" itself identifies lakeside development as an increasing contributor to nutrient and sediment loading in 2009, yet shoreline-specific concerns has received virtually no attention in 15 years, but yet constant media attention never seems to address this issue, until now.

I respectfully request that your agency or jurisdiction take the following steps:

• Require SWPPP compliance and stormwater management plans as conditions of approval for all qualifying lakeside development projects.
• Conduct or coordinate regular inspections to ensure BMPs (silt fencing, sediment basins, stabilized entrances, vegetated buffers) are implemented and maintained.
• Consider adopting local ordinances or policies that formalize the plan’s recommendations for consistent enforcement.

These actions would support the goals of the Comprehensive Management Plan and help preserve Bear Lake’s water quality for residents, visitors, future generations and keep the blame for polluting Bear Lake to whom it belongs.

I am available to discuss this matter or provide additional observations from the shoreline.

Thank you for your attention to this important responsibility.

Sincerely,

Darren Eastman - Bear Lake OG

BearLakeUtah.com