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Show OVERDUE TIMES FIRE DEPARTMENT NOTES The Town lifted the ban on open burning at its last meeting. The following are some of the State regulations regarding burning. The Uniform Fire Code is not overly restrictive. It requires a minimum of 50 feet of cleared space (nonflammable) between the fire and any structure. A masonry incinerator equipped with a spark arrestor can be used within 15 feet of a structure. Any open fire must be continuous— ly attended by a responsible person until all embers are extinguished. (This may impose a limit on the amount of material you want to ignite at any one time.) That person must have a live gardenhose or other means of extinguishing the fire at the site of the fire. No materials which create a dense or foul smelling smoke may be burned. (Tires, roofing materials, padded furniture, carpeting, etc.) Environmental regulations are at least as restrictive. The latest rules I’ve seen allow burning during April, May, half of September, and October. They allow the use of a burn barrel for household trash if there is no scheduled trash pickup available. No burning may be done unless the clearing index is above 500. That number is available from the Sheriff ’3 office or the health department. (Ihis ensures that smoke will rise rather than hug the ground.) As states and counties come under increasing pressure from the Federal Government to clean up the air even more, we should look forward to more restrictive rules on open burning. The latest proposed regulatons, if enacted,~ could very well lead to a heightened interest in composting. . —Floyd Stoughton, Fire Chief Man hates those he has wronged and only rarely those who have wronged him. —Eric Hoffer OCTOBER 15, 1997 - 3 FOULING THE NEST You probably couldn‘t find two people in Castle Valley who agree 100% on any one issue-and we’re proud of our diversity—but there is at least one thing we all share, and that’s the air that we breathe. Lucky breathers that we are, our air quality is still quite pristine. Who among us has not smelled the difference when driving past Fruita’s refinery? And that’s a small, used-to-be—agricultural area. Most Americans, indeed most world citizens, breathe air that is significant— 1y dirtier, and many suffer pollution— related ilnesses. So we’re in pretty good shape here, UNTTL someone starts burning trash. Air dirtied in Castle Valley does not respect property lines, only geography. The old “my land is my kingdom” argument doesn’t work here. In our exquisite, red—walled Valley home, smoke collects and is breathed by us all. The State of Utah’s division of Air Quality (2.4.2) specifies that “no person shall burn any trash, garbage or other waste or shall conduct any salvage operation by open burning” unless there exists no service for removal of said trash. In Castle Valley we have several options: 1) individuals can deal responsibly with their own trash through a combination of recycling and hauling it to the county dump. 2) individuals or groups can contract with a trash hauler to remove rubbish. Since such service would be available in the Valley if requested, legally, trash burning is prohibited. Permissible burning (without a permit) includes recreational fires such as campfires and cookouts. With a permit from Fire Chief Floyd Stoughton (259-6049) burning of yard AS THE WORLD TURNS HAPPY HALLOWEEN New Moon...Fri...Oct 3lst Rises...6:53 am....Sets..5:54 pm Full Moon...Fri...Nov 14th Rises....5:44 pm Sets 6:54 am New Moon...Sat...Nov 29th Rises...6:39 am....Sets..5312 pm Planet Overload: Look up! You won’t want to miss the gathering of planets at nightfall. While the most dense concentration will occur next month, now we can observe every planet in the solar system at once! Pluto requires a powerful telescope and good star chart, while Neptune and Uranus demand a telescope or binoculars. The rest stand brightly after sunset, stretched leftward along the solar system’s plane (the Zodiac) from southwest to southeast. At nightfall Venus is brightest and low, Jupiter far to its left, while less brilliant Saturn rises in the southeast. Striking Triangle: on Nov 3rd, the Moon, Mars and Venus will form a striking triangle in the southwest, 45 minutes after sunset. Orionid Meteor shower. 23m, Oct 20th, from the south, approx. peak: 10-70/hr. No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees No fruit, no flowers, no leaves, no birds—No-vember! —Thomas Hood waste such as weeds, bushes and trees is allowed if such fires are under the control of a responsible person and conducted during the open burn “windows” of Mar 30th to May 30th and Sept. 15th to Oct. 30th. _ I hope that no one burns any more trash in our Valley. After all, we are in the rare position of being able to PREVENT pollution. But if it does ...there wasn‘t a soul dared to run openly as an anti-slavery candidate for those as loved slavery were vio~ lent at heart, and those as hated it were mostly timid, and wouldn't stand together. —Orson Scott Gard - happen I hope that anyone offended by the stench will call their neighbor and let them know how they feel. As a very last resort, there is the law. To report illegal burning (your nose will know the difference) call Grand County Sanitarian Jim Adamson at 2595602 or after hours 2598278. I, for one, don’t wish to invite rubbish into my lungs, which is one Excerpted from Old Farmer’s Almanac ——Jennifer Redding *Anybody out there in CV with a telescope, now is the time to set them up. Because now thru year’s end, a dense concen~ tration of extraordinary planets will appear at nightfall. Lets have a planet party complete with telescopes for obser- vation. Call me at 259-8559. reason why I live here instead of some, already-polluted place like Gary, Indiana. For myself, my family and my neighbors, I want air that makes me want to breathe deeply, distant vistas and a life untroubled by lung cancer. Here’s to your health! — Alice Drogin A |