July 18, 2008

Areas with the potential for certain earthquake hazards, landslides, debris flows, and alluvial-fan flooding in the urban parts of Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, and Weber Counties are now available in one digital database.

Geographic Information System Database Showing Geologic-Hazard Special-Study Areas, Wasatch Front, Utah is a new publication in CD format available from the Utah Geological Survey (UGS).

Prior to development in areas prone to geologic hazards, city and county ordinances require special studies to identify hazards, assess their severity, and recommend how to mitigate their effects. Generalized geologic-hazard maps are required to determine where special studies are needed.

These maps, for the urban areas mentioned, can be generated from this new database. The various maps were prepared over the past several decades by the UGS and Wasatch Front County Hazards Geologists.

This database CD requires GIS software and skills to apply, and can be used by state and local governments to develop pre-disaster mitigation plans, critical-lands maps, and geologic-hazard ordinances.

Maps generated from this database by GIS professionals can also be used by homeowners, homebuyers, real-estate agents, and others to assess relative risks at a particular location of interest.

UGS Circular 106 is available for $24.95 at the Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, located at 1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City (801-537-3320 or 1-888-UTAHMAP; geostore@utah.gov).

Circular 106 will aid in implementing House Bill 177, passed by the 2008 Utah Legislature, which defines a development-approval process to be applied to geologic-hazard areas shown on these maps. The database is also the baseline for implementing the Governor's Geologic Hazards Working Group's recommendation in 2007 to update and improve these existing Wasatch Front geologic-hazard maps.