Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment Agriculture topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Mountain growers press Utah County for dust controls, monitoring and enforcement on gravel pits
Summary
Fruit growers described how dust and blasting from nearby gravel pits worsen spider‑mite outbreaks, degrade fruit quality and raise compliance costs; they urged measurable dust limits, monitoring, conditional‑use oversight and compensation, and the commission asked staff to study enforcement and ordinance options.
Growers from Utah County’s West Mountain region urged the county commission to take a tougher approach to controlling dust, blasting and heavy truck traffic from nearby gravel pits, saying airborne dust damages fruit, accelerates pest outbreaks and can render crops unsellable under federal food‑safety rules.
At a work session presentation, Curtis Rolly and several farmers described the local industry and how dust plumes from pits produce a fine coating that interferes with beneficial insects and aggravates spider‑mite infestations. Rolly said the effect can reduce next year’s crop set and raised a sample per‑acre treatment cost of about $147 to fight an infestation.
Resident Robert Rowley, whose home he said is directly downwind of a known pit, told the commission: “I can pull my truck up ... and in 1 hour, I can write my name in the dirt on the window.” He and other speakers described state inspectors responding after dust events have ended and urged county action on oversight.
Public commenters proposed a package of measures: (1) identify and require each pit to measure and publish dust levels, (2) set enforceable dust thresholds and fines, (3) limit blast size and timing, (4) require haul‑truck controls (covered loads, wheel‑wash stations) and cost‑sharing for road repairs, (5) open inspection records to neighbors, and (6) consider compensation for demonstrable crop losses.
Lynn Powers, a third‑generation grower, urged a county task force and stronger policing of operators, telling commissioners that airborne particles can damage lungs and fruit and that existing promises by operators have sometimes gone unmet.
Commissioners acknowledged the area’s unique microclimate for cherries and other fruit and said they would work with growers, pit operators and staff to explore options, including reviewing ordinances and enforcement tools. One commissioner noted the county has begun work with an environmental crimes task force focused on enforcing existing laws.
No regulatory change or emergency enforcement action was adopted at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to gather technical data, consider best practices from other jurisdictions and return with recommendations.
What’s next: County staff will inventory existing ordinances and enforcement options, evaluate monitoring devices and draft potential regulatory or administrative changes for future commission consideration.
