‘It makes me really angry’: Frustrations over littering, vandalism at Utah’s lakes and reservoirs

IVINS, Utah (ABC4) -- During the dog days of summer, people flock to Utah’s lakes and reservoirs. But not everyone is respecting the landscape, leaving trash or even their names carved into rocks.

Judy Franz, director of the Lake Powell Visitor Center, said it’s frustrating that some visitors think that carving their name into a rock wall is an acceptable way to mark a journey to Utah’s public lands.

“Take a picture,” she suggested instead. “Take it home. Put it on Facebook, splash it on TikTok or whatever, but please, please do not carve stuff into walls.”

Recently, Lake Powell has seen such vandalism along with just plain littering. It comes as the Glen Canyon Recreation Area is seeing an uptick in traffic. Last year, the park saw 5.2 million visitors.

Gary Lanphear, of Ivins, moved from California to southern Utah, in part, to enjoy access to pristine public lands. He lives just minutes from Ivins Reservoir and tries to get out there at least two or three times a month.

When he sees people not taking care of the reservoir, it upsets him.