Save Our Canyons wins Harpers Lawsuit

The Third District Court sided with plaintiffs Save Our Canyons on all counts in the Harpers Rock Quarry lawsuit, against Salt Lake County. Judge Sandra Peuler writes, "(T)his Court concludes that the Planning Commission failed to adhere to those ordinances that they were required to follow in order to make their ultimate determination."

The Salt Lake County Planning Commission issued a conditional use permit in 2001 to Harper Contracting Incorporated to expand its operation from 11.5 acres to approximately 62.2 acres. The problem with this approval is that the Forestry and Recreation Zone, that the quarry sits on, does not allow for rock quarries.

The county failed to define the term "mineral extraction" - specifically whether gravel is a mineral. This distinction is important because many of the most heavily recreated Wasatch areas in private are in the Forestry and Recreation zone, which unlike the Sand and Gravel (S-1-G) and Manufacturing zones (M-2), do not allow for quarries.

Save Our Canyons position is that we want Salt Lake County to start using its FCOZ and Forestry Recreation Zone in the manner that the authors intended them to be used; for preservation. Current county government is actually breaking its own laws to avoid protecting the land.

Articles

SL County denies developer road variances
The Salt Lake Tribune March 20, 2003.  Salt Lake County denies 14 variances for roadcuts involved in an application filed by Terry Diehl's Wasatch Pacific.

Favoring a Friend
The Salt Lake Tribune March 13, 2003.  Kicking aside foothill zoning ordinances, three Salt Lake County Board of Adjustment members have signed off on a road that will make a rude and unsightly slash along the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Mountainside road to get further review
Deseret News March 12, 2003.  A controversial road climbing along the side of a mountain at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, as well as the process that led to its approval, will get further review.

S.L. County Council Scrutinizes Road Vote
The Salt Lake Tribune March 12, 2003.  The Salt Lake County Council adopted a measure Tuesday that may forestall threatened legal action against the Board of Adjustments for overriding county planners and approving a steep roadway at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The Road to a Subpoena?
The Salt Lake Tribune March 04, 2003.  The Salt Lake County Council may subpoena three county officials who approved a controversial roadway at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon, and ask them to explain their decision.

Canyon Road Protest
The Salt Lake Tribune February 21, 2003.  The proposed roadway would cut deep into the hillside at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Kennecott water cleanup pumps Riverton worries
Deseret News February 5, 2002.  The city is watching out for its wells as Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. and Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District embark on a massive cleanup and water-treatment process.

Plume of 'dirty' water is moving
Deseret News June 18, 2001.  A plume of contaminated groundwater generated on Alliant Techsystems property has slowly crept closer to two culinary wells in the Kearns Improvement District, and officials there are now asking for more frequent tests from the company's own monitoring wells.

Kennecott's Dust Threatens Serious Federal Penalties
The Salt Lake Tribune May 4, 2001.  The sooty plumes swirling in western Salt Lake County have state officials and Kennecott Utah Copper scrambling.

Crompton Calls for Task Force To Protect Open Space, Canyons
The Salt Lake Tribune July 29, 2000.  Salt Lake County mayoral candidate Karen Crompton has vowed to take a fresh look at the issue of open space if elected.

Olympus Cove Resists Developer
The Salt Lake Tribune November 10, 1999.  Another developer seeking to build homes in the uppermost reaches of Olympus Cove is running into the same problem as his predecessors. Namely, the neighbors below.

Yellow Fork Off the Market -- for Now
The Salt Lake Tribune November 1, 1999.  Sale of the Salt Lake County regional park to the Boy Scouts is on hold at the moment.

Ski Resorts Ask to Dispense With County's OK
The Salt Lake Tribune September 14, 1999.  Weary of jumping through federal and local hoops to get projects approved, Wasatch Front ski resorts in Salt Lake County have asked that the process be consolidated to allow for speedier decision-making.