Let’s Talk Facts About Parley’s

FACT: The quarry will add very little in terms of new emissions. No chemicals are used to process aggregate, so that is a non-factor. There is dust, which will be mitigated (see below), but the size and chemical composition of the dust particles pose no significant health risk and do not contribute to existing air quality problems.

As to heavy equipment and trucks, the new quarry will add little new activity. Trucks and equipment now operating at other sites will shift to the new mine, or will replace older equipment, but very little will be added on a net basis.

FACT: Parley’s Canyon is still beautiful, but “pristine”? For starters, the canyon is bisected by a major multi-lane Interstate Highway carrying in excess of 60,000 vehicles each day. Within three miles either direction from our site we find a decommissioned gun range, and active law enforcement gun range, a wedding reception center, another quarry, dozens of exclusive cabins, a large UDOT installation alongside a 36-hole golf course, a dam and reservoir. Toward Parley’s Summit and beyond, the past twenty years has brought huge growth and development.

While that does not justify abusing the canyon environment, calling it “pristine” is a stretch. We believe that speaks to the credibility of the critics seeking to stop the project.

FACT: A quick internet search brings up the following: “Any person responsible for construction or maintenance of any existing road or having a right-of-way easement or possessing the right to use a road shall minimize fugitive dust to the maximum extent possible.” We agree with that, our regulators will insist on it, and we have the plans, the means and technology to make it so.

FACT: While gravel pits obviously do produce dust, the size and chemical composition of the dust particles do not pose a significant health risk and do not contribute to existing air quality problems.

Natural crustal fugitive dust is recognized by US EPA to be hazardous only at elevated concentrations above 150 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m 3 ) of air averaged on a daily basis as PM 10 . Formerly, particles larger than PM10 such as those comprising a majority of fugitive dust were regulated but EPA has determined that science supports only the regulation of PM10 and smaller particles to protect human health.  Such conditions have occurred during windstorms carrying dust entrained from many square miles of desert located west of Salt Lake City. EPA has concurred with Utah that windstorms are exceptional events and infeasible to control. The amount of dust that gravel pits may contribute during windstorms is minuscule when compared to the amount already airborne from the storm and would not increase severity or frequency of such regional events.

FACT: Blasting is strictly regulated. The site is surrounded by an engineered buffer area, and blasting will occur only in the interior of the project area. Moreover, modern quarry blasting operations are well-developed and controlled by carefully designed blasting patterns and sequencing. All blasting will follow national blasting and vibration regulations to ensure that any disruptions from the project are within recommended standards.

Learn more about blasting regulations

FACT: No chemical processing is used in aggregate production. There will be no waste dumps, leach pads, evaporation ponds or hazardous stockpiles generated by the quarry operations. In addition, all the material that will be produced at the quarry is marketable and will be sold as basic construction materials, or set aside as part of the future site reclamation. There are no naturally occurring deleterious or acid-forming materials on the site, meaning there are no potential impacts related to toxic tailings or outflows associated with this project.

FACT: Site reclamation will be designed in from the very start. This will include the redistribution of stored topsoil and the seeding and vegetating of the area with native plant species. Adequate bonding for reclamation, regulated by DAQ, will be put in place prior to mining.

FACT: The proposed mine poses no risk to the water supply due to operation procedures and mitigation measures. As noted above, based on a technical review and analysis of relevant geochemical data water quality data, the mine would comply with applicable water quality criteria. The mine site is also well downstream from any reservoir tied into a potable water system.

Testing has shown potentially hazardous bio-contamination of Parley’s Creek, which must be explored further, but it is obviously not coming from the proposed operation.

FACT: There is no reason to assume that fire danger will increase due to the quarry. That has not been the case for other quarries. In reality, having the area under constant observation, developing a fire control strategy, and having trained personnel and suppression equipment on site will likely improve the fire situation.

FACT: State and federal authorities have invested millions in game control fences up and down the canyon wherever large animals might try to migrate. The fences and other measures have had reasonable success. It can be argued that the presence of the quarry will divert larger wildlife away from the highway without depriving them of significant habitable space. A comprehensive report on the Quarry shows impact to wildlife and habitat would be negligible.

FACT: Since most of the land along the I-80 right-of-way is privately held, there are currently no such recreational opportunities on the land in question to be lost.

FACT: The mine is actually well separated from Mt. Aire by topography. The mine will not be visible from Mt. Aire due to the extreme topography between the two areas.  Mt. Aire residents will be more likely to hear the freeway than to hear the mine during normal operations. Dust mitigation measures will minimize the possibility of mine dust crossing the ridge.

It is true that Mt. Aire residents currently park and stage on private land in the winter when their road is impassable. Since residents do not own that land, some displacement may eventually be necessary.

FACT: Opponents may not state this publicly, but it is implicit in their statements. DOGM, DEQ, DAG and other regulatory agencies are made up of dedicated professionals who work every day to protect the health and environment of Utah. Our economy cannot shut down at the whim of radical opponents. Utah’s business climate, growth and quality of life are testament to the good work done by state regulators.

FACT: Salt Lake County did pass a bill. However, designation as FR-20 allows for mineral extraction on private land and the proposed project is on private land. The clear intent of the Legislature in recent years has been to protect mineral and other resource rights from local zoning encroachment.

While that matter may have to be resolved via taxpayer-funded litigation, legal precedent clearly favors private property and mineral rights.

FACT: “Figures can’t lie, but liars can figure.” At no time will the quarry be 1/3 the size of the Kennecott pit, nor anything close to it, and the opposition knows it.

FACT: That is a ridiculous and deceptive statement typical of the opposition. Actual acreage of the Kilgore mine is over 90 acres, not 11 acres as they claim. Just as Kilgore’s operation directly involve only a portion of the overall parcel, so will be the case with the I-80 South Quarry. Our mine is also well away from the highway and will be far less conspicuous to passersby.

FACT: Based on required safety regulations and best practices, the experienced mine operator will implement all appropriate safety protocols. The mine will be sloped in such a way as to prevent avalanches and rockslides.

FACT: 140 trucks per day would create minimal disruption on I-80, given that 60,000 vehicles travel the route each day. It is also likely that net truck traffic on Wasatch Front highways will increase very little.

FACT: The chemical composition of particles is an important factor consider when assessing potential health and cancer risks. Limestone that will be excavated consists primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and would be associated with low levels of quartz and thus reduced potential to generate respirable crystalline silica.

Respirable crystalline silica would not cause cancer if it were present in dust from the gravel pit because levels to which individuals are exposed is low under non-occupational/ambient conditions. A health risk assessment assuming total amounts of metals that may be present (i.e., as opposed to much smaller amounts that are bioavailable) was performed and shows that health risk at nearby receptors would be minimal.

FACT: No historical sites or monuments lie within the mine area, and unless you already

own one of those exclusive cabins, you can’t go see the landmarks anyway.

FACT: As with most things, there are good and bad quarry locations, good and bad quarry operators. Granite Construction has a solid reputation as an operator of such facilities. The 2004 decision was decided on different issues and is irrelevant to the proposed project.

FACT: The proposed mine directly addresses a major economic issue in Utah – the need for more locally sited and permitted aggregate production facilities to accommodate growth. Its proximity to urban construction will reduce, not increase, vehicle emissions.