Minutes - June 9, 1997
Utah Geological Survey Board Meeting

Attendance:

• Russell Babcock
• Jerry Golden
• Deedee O'Brien
• William Berge
• Craig Nelson
• Richard Kennedy
• Cary Smith

• Lee Allison
• Kimm Harty
• Werner Haidenthaller
• Cheryl Ostlund
• Barry Solomon
• Mark Milligan
• John Hanson
• Bill Black
• Frank Ashland

BOARD APPOINTMENTS

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

NEW STAFF

DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Director Allison reminded the Board that the UGS was working on a proposal to inventory resources on state trust lands within the new monument. Trust Lands indicated they did not want to submit the proposal because they are in negotiations on trading out the trust lands within the monument. Senator Bennett indicated to Director Allison that, although it is too late to submit a proposal, the federal budget will be reviewed at the end of June and he wants to move all of the legislation that will affect the new monument into one area of the budget. We may be able to get money at that time and do the inventory throughout the entire monument and not just on school trust lands.

Part of the original proposal was to establish a field institute. Southern Utah University has submitted that proposal to Senator Bennett's office.

A science forum on the monument is being held in November. It is sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The state science advisor, Suzanne Winters, is on the planning committee. They are hoping to have 300 participants. We have been asked to help organize the field trips.

Conoco started moving their equipment on Friday, June 6, to the location where they plan to drill. They have been trying to work with the BLM to extend their federal leases, but BLM has not agreed to the extensions.

Chairman Babcock commended Director Allison for his efforts to ensure Utah's interests are being represented.

DISCUSSION ITEM

There was a unique problem in the Uintah Basin in May. An irrigation canal was breached and the ensuing floodwater carved a 250 ft. deep ravine. Mr. Solomon showed slides of the area. The sediment worked its way into a water treatment plant which had to be closed for a period of time. UGS is continuing to advise local authorities.

Frank Ashland has responded to four landslides this spring. They are: Honeyville, Shurtz Lake, Old Jalopy-Chalk Creek, and Milepost 152. The Shurtz Lake landslide is the largest one being investigated this year. We have a concern that the landslide may block the Spanish Fork River. Utah County is monitoring the slide. There is evidence near the Chalk Creek slide that the creek may become blocked. Summit County is continuing to monitor the slide.

Mr. Solomon reported that UGS has been participating in a radon program for the past six years. We have generated a statewide hazard map of in-door radon areas, published an in-depth report, and also a two-page summary report.

We have learned a lot of information about earthquakes from the St. George earthquake in 1992 and North Ridge, California earthquake. We have re-written our emergency response plan.

Bill Lund is working on the Hurricane Fault in a cooperative study with the Arizona Geological Survey. Barry is working on the West Cache fault study. Both studies are funded as state-federal cost shares under the NEHRP program.

Bill Black is in the early stages for setting up two trench sites in the West Cache fault zone and plans to start trenching in August.

Mr. Black informed the Board that there is a proposal to place a temporary nuclear waste repository on the Goshute reservation. The plan is to store the waste temporarily for 15-20 years until a permanent storage facility is completed in the Yucca Mountains. A UGS study is being done to identify the geologic hazards in the area. Director Allison reported that the Governor has given this high priority. Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality, is in charge of the study. We submitted a draft report last week.

Mr. Ashland reported the Applied section provides assistance to cities, counties, and towns by completing site investigations for essential public facilities, geologic hazards and planning, and geologic-hazard events and natural disasters. They are trying to let local government agencies know these services are available to them.

The Applied program is also involved with the Utah Strong-Motion Instrumentation Program and a proposed Seismic Site-Response Mapping program. The strong motion program is in cooperation with University of Utah Seismograph Stations and USGS' National Strong Motion Program. We are working with BYU-Civil Engineering on developing the Seismic Site-Response Mapping program.

ACTION ITEM

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Department of Natural Resources has created a new law enforcement section and it will be housed in three offices in our Economic section.

The next UGS board meeting is September 12, 1997, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the UGS conference room.

ADJOURNMENT