Millcreek mayor questions air-quality data as city fights Parleys Canyon gravel mine

MILLCREEK — Millcreek is mounting another challenge against a proposed gravel mine in Parleys Canyon, this time appealing a state-issued air-quality permit that city leaders say fails to adequately protect nearby residents.

The city announced Thursday that it filed an appeal challenging the Utah Division of Air Quality's permit for the proposed I-80 South Quarry.

Millcreek Mayor Cheri Jackson told Jeff Caplan's Afternoon News on KSL that one of the city's biggest concerns is where state regulators gathered the air-quality data used to evaluate the project.

"First, the air quality measurements were taken at the airport, which is miles away from Millcreek and not in the path of Parleys Canyon," Jackson said.

She argued those measurements may not accurately reflect the amount of dust affecting neighborhoods near the canyon, particularly in Millcreek's Canyon Rim and Mount Olympus areas.

The city is also questioning whether the proposed mine's dust-control measures would adequately protect residents.

Concerns about existing dust

Residents have already raised concerns about dust blowing down Parleys Canyon from existing mining operations.

During a January public hearing held by the Utah Division of Air Quality in Millcreek, residents questioned what additional mining activity could mean for air quality throughout the Salt Lake Valley.

Jackson said the city is especially concerned that another quarry could add to the dust residents say they are already experiencing.

She also pointed to dust samples collected by residents near the canyon that she said indicated a significant portion of the dust originated from existing quarry operations.

Those findings are among the concerns city leaders believe warrant closer examination.

Millcreek argues the state's permit does not sufficiently account for those potential impacts and is asking that the decision be overturned.

An uphill battle

Despite the latest challenge, Jackson acknowledged that stopping the project at this stage may be difficult.

"We recognize that this is a big mountain to climb and that it's a long shot," Jackson told KSL. "But we feel like the health and safety of our community is so important."

The city says it intends to pursue every available avenue to protect residents, even while acknowledging that its options for stopping the project may be limited.

If the Utah Division of Air Quality grants the city's request for administrative review, an administrative law judge would hear the appeal and make a recommendation to the executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, who would make the final decision.

The appeal does not itself overturn the permit or establish that the proposed quarry violates air-quality standards.

For now Millcreek is seeking another review of whether the state has adequately considered the potential effects of additional mining activity on nearby communities.

The city's position is that protecting residents from additional dust and pollution is worth continuing the fight, even if the odds of stopping the project remain uncertain.

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