You won’t hear it. You won’t smell it. You won’t taste it.  You won’t feel it or breathe it. You won’t see it, unless you go looking.

But you will use it and benefit from it.

You live in housing. You drive on roads. You use the airport. Some people go to hospitals. Everyone drinks water, everyone flushes. Everybody uses our infrastructure – roads, bridges, water systems, sewers, electricity.

None of that gets built without aggregate, and aggregate comes from quarries.

For one thing, Parley’s Canyon has hosted mining from the earliest days of the westward migration of the pioneers. Its geology means that it is home to all kinds of minerals and rocks.

Quarry opponents call Parley’s Canyon “pristine.” Does that sound right to you?

First, Parley’s has its own Interstate Freeway carrying tens of thousands of vehicles through it every day. But that’s not all. Lower Parley’s is also home to an extremely exclusive cabin development, a gun range, a reception center, state parks and a 36-hole golf course.

Though urban adjacent, Parleys Canyon is remote enough to be isolated from those inhabited areas. The proposed mine site features extremely high-quality limestone, ideal for producing the aggregate products essential to the modern construction we all require.

And with its adjacency and easy exit and entry to the Interstate, the site will actually produce minimal traffic disruption, given existing traffic volumes.

And here is something our opposition won’t ever share with you – the actual mine site is not visible from any existing structures, despite what you’ve been told. Our estimate is that a passenger on the Interstate (assuming drivers’ eyes on the road) may be able to catch a glimpse of the actual mine for as long as 6 seconds as they whiz by.

The facility will produce limestone hard rock, sand, and key construction aggregates for projects throughout Salt Lake and Summit Counties. These construction aggregates are essential for residential, commercial, and transportation facility construction. Ninety (90%) of the aggregates mined at this site will be used east of I-15.

Mining is a highly regulated industry. Several state regulatory agencies are charged with protecting the health and safety our communities. Given our high rankings among states, it is clear that Utah’s agencies do a decent job. Several agencies will have a hand in clearing this mine for operation. Plans must be formulated and approved to cover a wide array of legitimate concerns. Management plans for dust, emissions, fire control, noise, water supply security, wildlife management all require state approval. The primary agencies include:

Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining (DOGM): Responsible for mine safety and reclamation.

Department of Air Quality (DAQ): will monitor and enforce air emission standards.

Division of Water Quality (DWQ): Oversees the safety of surface water, ground water, and the management of storm water.

Granite Construction is known as an elite-level constructor and construction materials provider. Granite has safely and efficiently operated the quarry at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon for decades, while development has proceeded all around it. That quarry will close in the next few years and the Parley’s quarry will replace it. That makes sense, given the growth around the Cottonwood site over the past twenty years. The Parley’s location will be far superior in terms of isolation and transport.

“Granite has a 100-year history of responsibly providing construction materials that are essential to America’s infrastructure. The I-80 South Quarry is necessary to support affordability, quality, and sustainability in Utah’s growing economy. This project will serve Utahns for years to come and Granite is dedicated to operating with industry-leading practices that protect the environment and match what citizens of the ‘best-managed state’ have come to expect in their businesses.”

--Kyle Larkin, President and CEO of Granite Construction

“From the time I was first elected Mayor in 2004, we had significant interactions with Granite Construction relative to the gravel pit in Cottonwood Heights. I came to appreciate the transparent business culture and the integrity with which Granite conducted business. I was grateful as a community leader that Granite was always respectful of not just city concerns, but citizen concerns. Their willingness to work with our community allowed us to mitigate in material ways some of the detrimental impacts of the gravel pit operations. Granite’s transparency allowed us to build trust and dialogue that led to real solutions to problems. The corporate culture of Granite has, in my experience, always showed concern for community and the impacts your operations may have now and in the future.”

-Kelvyn Cullimore, Mayor of Cottonwood Heights City 2005-2017

“We’ve completed iconic Utah projects located in Salt Lake County and Summit County over the years we have worked in Utah. We’re dedicated to serving our community and the state as a whole by providing safe and reliable service.”

— Jason Klaumann, Regional Manager for Granite