THE GEOLOGIC REVIEW PROCESS – ONE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE

Draper City, Utah ~10 miles south of Salt Lake City is subject to geologic processes that impact public health, safety, and welfare, such as active faulting, landslides, liquefaction, rock falls, and debris flows.

In 2002, Draper City initiated a geologic review process via adoption of the Salt Lake County geologic hazards ordinance. The municipal process has evolved from “blindly” accepted reports from “professionals” without clear and concise prescriptive minimum standards and/or a formalized review process, to a practice of thorough reviews by in-house consultants.

After obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the value of the geologic review process, Draper City, in 2007, formed a panel of experts to revise the City's geologic hazard ordinance. The purpose of the revision was three fold: 1) to reflect the most current standards of practice in the western U.S., 2) to develop concise prescriptive minimum standards for evaluating geologic hazards such as slope stability, landslides, faulting, debris flow, rock fall, and liquefaction, and 3) to protect public health, safety, and welfare (not to add a bureaucratic layer to the development process).

Although the process has been challenging and commenced with reluctance, Draper City found the rewards far overshadow the consequences of operating without regulation. The success of the City's review process is ultimately attributable to: 1) City leadership and willingness to leap into “regulation,” 2) recognition that previous procedures were woefully inadequate and, 3) learning lessons from surrounding communities where geologic issues were ignored.

Factors which contribute to a successful review process include: 1) a thorough and concise geologic hazard ordinance, 2) an educated City Council, 3) review-consultants who understand City processes and can circumvent potential issues that could adversely impact the City, 4) preventing developers from controlling the development process, 5) implementing new data and making the hard decisions in regards to development, even if it involves halting approved developments, 6) working with developers to avoid geologic hazardous areas, and 7) advocating with the State legislature to assure a municipality's right to geologic and geotechnical review and the protection of public health, safety and welfare.