Summit County staff, Basin Recreation and stakeholders raise water, trail and access concerns about proposed cemetery site; board forms advisory committee

County lands staff, Basin Recreation officials and recreation stakeholders told the Snyderville Basin Cemetery District board that the currently proposed cemetery parcel near the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) requires more technical study and public outreach because of hydrology, trail impacts and parking concerns.

At the meeting, Summit County lands director Jess Kirby told the board the parcel has seasonal pooling and nearby springs and that the site sits in or near a source-water protection area for culinary wells. “...there are 3 screens, 4 underground water wells, and you're within the source water protection zone 4 of a culinary well,” Kirby said, asking the district to study groundwater flows and consult engineers about potential impacts before committing to the location.

Recreation impacts and parking: Dana Jones, director of Basin Recreation, said the parcel includes existing single-track and cross-country trails and that the recently finished trailhead parking fills regularly. She recommended that the cemetery district avoid routing public multi-use trails through grave sites and either reroute existing trails outside any cemetery boundary or provide separate, guided access within cemetery boundaries to avoid conflicting uses. Basin Recreation staff also flagged maintenance costs for noxious weed control and wildlife damage (badgers) that could increase with disturbance.

Ashes, green burial and visual impacts: County staff raised questions about cremated-ashes spreading areas and green-burial options, and how those practices could interact with groundwater and trail users. The county lands director recommended following best practices on distances from water sources and said the district should consider vaulting or other containment if needed.

Public engagement and stakeholders: Summit County staff and recreation officials urged the cemetery board to accelerate public outreach because the parcel is adjacent to a recently contentious development and the community already views the land as public recreation open space. Stakeholder groups suggested for engagement included Basin Recreation, Utah Olympic Park, Mountain Trails Foundation and local skiing groups.

Advisory committee formed: The board moved to create a stakeholder advisory committee to help guide site analysis and public outreach, empowering board leadership to appoint 6–8 external stakeholders plus at least two board members to the group and to coordinate with county staff on membership. A motion to create the subcommittee passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff said deed language needs to be amended to subdivide ~12 acres from the county parcel and that additional test pits and hydrologic study are planned. County and recreation officials offered to continue working with the district on technical analysis and public engagement before the board commits to any final site design.