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Show Spanish Valley Residents Attend Health Meeting Nearly fifty residents and : property owners in Spanish Valley met Thursday evening even-ing to discuss problems connected con-nected with water supplies and sewage disposal in this rapidly developing area in Moab Valley. On hand for the meeting was Lynn Thatcher, director of the Division of Environmental Environ-mental Health for the State of Utah. Mr. Thatcher arrived arriv-ed in Moab early Thursday afternoon, and spent the day inspecting individual problem areas in Spanish Valley, along with State Sen. Sam Taylor, State Rep. Ed Drake, Bert Swink, chairman of the Grand County Planning Commission and Jack Jacquez, city and county sanitarian and building build-ing inspector. "ntir.ued development in Spanish Valley was rapidly Mr. Thatcher told the group forcing a major decision on the primary use to be placed on the land there with reference refer-ence to water and sewer. Density in Spanish Valley is growing to the point where the" practice of using the land for both water development through shallow to borderline deep wells, and for sewage disposal, through the use of septic tanks, can no longer be allowed. It is just a matter of time, he said, before the shallow wells in the valley will become be-come contaminated with seeo age from a growing number of septic tanks. He indicated that if the decision de-cision was made to continue using the ground for sewage disposal, some method must be found, and found soon, to provide domestic water from a source other than shallow wells. Following Mr. Thatcher's remarks, an hotir question and answer session delved into in-to the possibilities of formulating formu-lating a water conscrvency district to provide, eventually, for an approved water distribution distri-bution system. The tone of the meeting ind'eated that residents had given the question ques-tion a good deal of though!:, and were aware of the growing grow-ing problem. Following the meeting, Chairman Swink indicated that he would propose the formation for-mation of a pilot study committee com-mittee to go into the water conservency district question in detail. He stated that the proposal would be placed on the agenda of the next county-wide county-wide planning committee meeting, scheduled for the first part of March. Residents at the meeting questioned the State health official on the State's position on the Jones Beaver Farm controversy that has involved local officials of late. Mr. Thatcher, who had inspected in-spected the Beaver farm during dur-ing the afternoon, reported that the dike on the water holding pond had been repaired, repair-ed, and no overflow was presently pres-ently going down along the ,, side of the old highway at present. It will not be possible pos-sible to run proper tests on the overflow from the pond until such time as is it filled, he said. At that time, probably probab-ly in about two months, the effluent will be tested for . bacteria count. Theoretically he said, bacteria die-off normally norm-ally takes around a month in a controlled pond. If the effluent bacteria count has not dropped sufficiently suffici-ently to fall below critical standards, he said, then the State would continue to take jurisdiction in the matter. If, however, the bacteria count does drop to safe levels, the state will no longer have a health interest in the matter. "What is then done with the overflow from the pond will be a local matter," he said. Decomposition of organic matter has little to do with actual bacteria content, he said. Numerous questions were asked and points made on the subject of the beaver farm by people assembled at the meeting. . Mr. Thatcher remained in Moab Thursday night, and met Friday with officials of Alias Minerals Corporation on, Water Pollution Control Board business. |