Report on hazards goes to governor

LAYTON — It took damaging landslides in Cedar Hills, Provo, Mountain Green, South Weber and Layton to get to this point: The governor's Geologic Hazards Working Group, formed in April 2006, has presented Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. with its list of recommendations.

The aforementioned cities experienced landslides that destroyed homes, forced evacuations and injured at least one person during 2005 and 2006. The group's recommendations aim to reduce such losses.

It will take a combination of stronger land-use ordinances, more brains, thorough investigations and better training to make sure development occurs in a wise manner, and Utah is behind the curve, said Jodi Hoffman, a land-use attorney who advises the Utah League of Cities and Towns and is a member of the working group.

Most land that is easily developed has been taken, Hoffman said, and more people are moving up the hillsides, which can pose a danger to the homeowner and those living down the hill.

But Utah is a state that honors property rights, she said, and cities can't deny an owner the right to develop property without a compelling reason.

Huntsman, who authorized the creation of the working group in 2006, said he plans to investigate the group's recommendations and likes what he sees so far.

"We have some real issues here that, together, we need to tackle," he said, adding that he plans to keep the working group together to consider geologic hazards issues.

"I think in the next few years, you're going to see some real progress being made," he said.

Some of that progress will come in the form of a model geologic-hazards ordinance the group is currently working on and could be available for cities to adopt in the next few months. The ordinance is expected to give cities and counties more tools to monitor development in hazard areas. It will require minimum standards of geologic and engineering practice and expected performance standards.

The group recommends that the Utah Geological Survey have updated geologic hazards maps to help in the formulation of land-use regulations. Many of the current maps were compiled in the late 1980s and need to be updated.

Other recommendations include:

• Provide local governments with access to geologic and engineering expertise.

• Ensure that standards in engineering geology and geotechnical engineering advance in Utah.

• Expand training in engineering geology at Utah's universities.