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Show The Ogden Valley News April 1, 2022 Your Community Newspaper USPS MARKETING MAIL POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Photo by Carrie Bryant of Eden. Weber Fire District Announces 2022 Open & Agriculture Burn Dates The Weber Fire District wants to remind the citizens of unincorporated Weber County, Marriott- Slaterville, West Haven, Ogden Valley, Farr West, Uintah, and Hooper that the Open Burning window for yard clean up starts March 31 and ends May 30, 2022. You may obtain a burn permit by visiting Department of Air Quality’s (DAQ) web site at airquality.utah.gov. Burn Permit Guideline 1. Once a burn permit is obtained, the clearing index must be above 500 in order to burn legally. You can check the air quality index online. 2. Burning material must be of vegetation type, i.e., tree limbs, leaves & grass clippings. 3. Tires, paint, conventional lumber, or any material that is manufactured is NOT allowed to be burned. 4. Fires must always be accompanied and must be extinguished by dark. 5. Agricultural burning does not require a burn permit, nor does it need to observe the clearing index of 500. However, we strongly encourage the agricultural community to observe the 500 ft. clearing index. The only things allowed to be burned under the agriculture burn umbrella are ditch banks, fence Lines, stubble (grain, corn), and open grazing land. 6. The Fire Department does reserve the right BURN DATES cont. on page 10 Photo courtesy of Lizzy Schiller of Green Hills. Ogden Valley Land Trust Announces Ogden Valley Planning Commission Tables Adoption of New Conservation Easement Decision on Nordic Village Zoning Text By Shanna Francis The board of Ogden Valley Land Trust is pleased to announce the donation of a conservation easement to the land trust for stewardship purposes on 8.71 acres of prime agricultural and wildlife habitat property abutting Pineview Reservoir in Eden called the Graham Farm Conservation Easement. The donor is Daniel E. Harris of Eden. The property is situated between 1900 N (Highway 166) and the reservoir on the east side of Geertsen Bay. The intent of the easement is to preserve, protect, and enhance, in perpetuity, the natural and aesthetic resources connected to the property, including those consistent with Ogden Valley’s General Plan, including its open space, scenic viewsheds, wildlife and wildlife habitat, and dark skies. The easement identifies the following conservation values that will be protected: 1. Water Resources - To maintain and improve the quality of water resources on and abutting the easement property—both surface and groundwater—providing an important natural vegetative buffer that will enhance the filtration and cleansing of water and the slowing of its movement before reaching Pineview Reservoir. 2. Agricultural Resources – To perpetuate and foster the development of healthy and sustainable agricultural, farm, and ranch practices on the property into the future, allowing for changes in crops, food production related uses, EASEMENT cont. on page 13 Ogden Valley Blood Drive Slated for April 4 C o m m u n i t y Foundation of Ogden Valley (CFOV) has teamed up with Red Cross to bring regularly scheduled blood drives to Ogden Valley. The first of these community blood drives is scheduled for Monday, April 4 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Valley Market in Eden. To schedule an appointment, or for more information, please visit redcrossblood.org or contact community blood drive coordinator Janet Wampler at 305-796-7778 or janet.wampler@ gmail.com. Drop-in donors are also welcome. You may start the donation process by completing an online pre-donation health history questionnaire on the day of your appointment by logging in to redcrossblood.org/RapidPass. All donors will receive a “thank you” coupon for a free Zaxby’s signature sandwich of the donor’s choice. Your gift of blood can save a life. Management Tools for Groundwater Protection Written and compiled by Shanna Francis There are many, many tools that can be used to manage and protect our highly prized and lifesupporting groundwater resources. Listed below are several examples. Zoning: Regulations used to segregate different, and possibly conflicting, activities into different areas of a community. For instance, manufacturing and residential. When considering zoning or rezoning, it is important for a county or municipality to already have developed a sensitive lands and aquifer recharge study and correlating maps to show where these areas are, then, to direct heavy development away from these areas. In Ogden Valley, there is narratives in the general plan to direct high-density development away from the Valley floor; however, is it wise to redirect this heavy development higher up into the foothills and mountain tops in prime watershed recharge areas? It is important for communities to map these critical areas then adopt zoning that directs incompatible uses and densities away from the most impactful areas. Overlay Water Resource Protection Districts: These ordinances and bylaws are similar to zoning regulations in their goals of defining resources by mapping zones of contributing watershed or other sensitive area boundaries, then enacting specific protective legislation or zoning requirements for land uses and development away from these key boundary areas. Aquifer Recharge Maps: Local planning leaders can participate in the protection of their groundwater resources by utilizing aquifer recharge maps. Local officials need tools to adequately evaluate the ground water risks of a proposed development, and to regulate where risks are unacceptable. Aquifer recharge maps detail environmentally sensitive areas, and essentially outline the direct pathways to recharge or replenish our underground drinking water supplies. Prohibition of Some Land Uses: Some land areas are more suitable for some types of development than others. Prohibition of land uses based on land suitable issues such as By Shanna Francis The Weber County commission chambers were filled to overflowing Tuesday, March 22 as members of the Ogden Valley Planning Commission considered text amendments to the county’s form-based zoning ordinance for a proposed village center at Nordic Valley to accommodate, if developers get what they’re asking for, 763+ dwelling units at the sleepy western corner of Ogden Valley. Because hotel rooms are traditionally only counted as about a third of a dwelling unit, and condos about one half—both of which developer Laurent Jouffray is asking for as part of his expansion proposal— the actual count of dwelling units could potentially be much higher. A Weber County Zoning Map Amendment Application filed with the county reports that petitioner is asking for a zoning change on a total of 50.51 acres that are currently zoned FV-3, FR-3, and O-1, and includes eleven parcels of property recorded with the county. The petitioner has asked for zoning changes that will allow the now-vacant properties to accommodate mixed uses, including vehicle-oriented commercial, mixed-use commercial, multi-fam- ily residential, small-lot residential, residential rural development, estate-lot residential, and open space. However, open space, as proposed, would also be permitted to accommodate— over about 2.5% of the overall open space— commercial uses, such as ski lodges, zoos, a dude ranch, commercial cat and dog kennels, parking lots, and wastewater treatment facilities, etc. The controversial development is receiving a groundswell of pushback from the community. About 80 people packed into the commission chambers, many of them sharing concerns about different aspects of the proposed highdensity development during the public hearing portion of the meeting. In addition, the number of those participating via Zoom peeked at about 44. Concerns addressed the following: • Adequate water supplies • An unprecedented height request of 55’ of some buildings • Workforce housing not being calculated into the overall density equation • Bonus density allotments, further increasing density NORDIC VILLAGE cont. on page 12 Utah DNR’s 2021 Water Resources Plan Now Available The Division of approach. Healthy Watersheds are necessary Water Resources is pleased to announce the publication of the Water Resources Plan. This plan is the result of years of data gathering, modeling, and other collaborative efforts to identify when and where water will be needed throughout the state. The plan focuses on the following three principles of water management: Reliable Data is needed to make informed water management decisions. Obtaining a Secure Supply of water to meet future needs requires a comprehensive to ensure the viability of the state’s precious water resources. The public was given the opportunity to comment on the plan from September 29 to November 15, 2021 (see Appendix I below for comments and responses). A virtual open house was also held on October 20, 2021 (a copy of the public comments and responses can be found at water. utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2021Water-Resources-Plan-Public-Comment.pdf). An electronic copy of the plan can be found at water.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ Water-Resources-Plan-Single-Page-Layout. pdf. If you have any questions about the plan or the public review process, please contact us at water@utah.gov. GROUNDWATER cont. on page 10 Fish & Wildlife Agencies Host Bear Lake “State of the Lake” Public Meeting on March 31 BEAR LAKE — Fisheries staff from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will share updates on the Bear Lake fishery and work plans for 2022 at an upcoming “State of the Lake” public meeting. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 31 at the Garden City Convention Center’s Lakeside Room. The meeting starts at 6:00 p.m. The Garden City Complex is located at 69 N. Parkway in Garden City, Utah. Anglers and other community members interested in the status of the Bear Lake fishery are encouraged to attend. Biologists from both agencies will share the latest population trends and ongoing management work related to the wide array of fish found in the lake. The event will include introductory presentations by both states followed by a question-and-answer session between biologists and the public. For more information, contact the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Southeast Region Office at 208-232-4703 or the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Northern Region Office at 801-476-2740. Ice Fishing under the Worm Moon. Photos courtesy of Sam Crump. |