Tag Archive for: Cedar Mountain

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A discussion that initially started out over a battle of water rights for a few individuals on Cedar Mountain as escalated to an issue t h a t could affect all of Iron County and its taxpayers.

While the county has put a six-month land use restriction  on residents of the $39 million Cedar Highland subdivision located on Cedar Mountain, developers are worried the restriction to build is affecting property values for homes in the area. Declining values in a multimillion dollar subdivision add up quickly and translate into the county having to make up the tax revenue elsewhere. That cost could fall on all property owners in Iron County.

Iron County is taking action on what could be a multi-million dollar landslide problem, but it might have come nearly 30 years too late, said Utah Geological Survey senior scientist Bill Lund. He said the county made a decision 30 years ago, in his opinion, based on “insufficient information.”

With more than 70 homes now above Cedar City in the Cedar Highlands area, Lund said he is holding his breath to see what will happen to the stability of the land in the area.  The homes have septic tanks, which have u n d e r g r o u n d water seepage, which lubricates the plates beneath the ground, Lund explained. On top of that, roads and paths that cut into the mountain also disrupt the stability of the area. Lund, who has more than 31 years of geological experience, said all of the infrastructure being built without a study becomes a cause for concern because changes on one lot can affect another.

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The Spectrum

Hours of debate regarding the Green Hollow Landslide and the proposed Capo Di Monte subdivision on Cedar Mountain took place at the Iron County Planning Commission meeting Thursday, with no decisions made as of press time.

At the meeting the commission heard the recommendation of Utah Geological Survey Geologist Bill Lund.

Lund recommended that further study by expert engineers take place before further development be allowed to continue on one of the largest landslides in the state. The study will determine whether more development and water saturation in the area could cause the landslide to reactivate.

Lund also told the planning commission that several smaller landslides on the mountain had been activated since the Cedar Highlands subdivision was completed. Conclusions were based on the original studies in 1981, which stated that the landslide was inactive.

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The Spectrum

In light of the proposed Capo Di Monte subdivision on Cedar Mountain, the issue of the west facing side being declared a landslide, one of the largest in the state, is up for debate at Thursday’s Iron County Planning Commission meeting.

The Cedar Highlands subdivision exists on the mountain and has activated two of the smaller landslides since comprehensive studies were completed in 1981, which found the larger landslide to be inactive.

Bill Lund, Utah Geological Survey geologist, said based on his findings he would recommend that more research be done on the mountain before making any decisions to approve further development.

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