S C A V E N G E R H U N T

Welcome to Open Streets SLC! You have found the Nature on Main Scavenger Hunt.

Here, we ask you to identify an aspect of nature along Main Street and answer a question about it that relates to the natural history of the Wasatch Front. Stops are numbered north to south, but you can start anywhere. Answer as many questions as you like. At the end of the Scavenger Hunt, go to the City Creek Center activity hub to learn more and find fun activities!

Stop 8: Downstream

Look at the storm drain inlet at your feet, in the Main Street gutter.

In a desert environment like Salt Lake City, rainwater is a key part of the watershed. However, the city’s concrete and asphalt create impermeable surfaces, so rainwater that once soaked into the ground now runs off buildings, streets, and parking lots into the storm drain system. This system includes ditches, catch basins, pipes, ponds, swales, and dry wells that carry stormwater to rivers or allow it to seep into the ground.

In its Main Street Pedestrian Promenade vision, Salt Lake City proposes a new approach to such “stormwater management.” The plan includes planted areas along the street where rainwater can filter into the ground, reducing pollutants and supporting healthy trees.