We have a very disturbing situation trying to develop in Spanish Valley, San Juan County. I know most readers live in Moab, Grand County and you may think this doesn’t pertain to or affect you, but it does.

We have an individual trying to start another gravel pit right next to a few housing developments. I am all for people trying to start a business and better themselves, but this is not the case here. This individual is only trying to start this gravel pit for his interest only. He has no regards to the impact this will do to a lot of neighborhoods. The dust, blowing dirt, noise, pollution of soil and drainage are just some of the effects this will have on hundreds of us.

He has already started this gravel pit without all permits being in place and approved. Isn’t that against the law? Some of this land is state land, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping him from wanting to dig it up. He has started this process with no regards to the effect it will have on many, many homes that are in the immediate area to this pit.

Whatever happened to love thy neighbor? Treat people like you would want to be treated. Would he like a gravel pit in his backyard? I am positive that the answer would be no. He lives in the mountains, so what does he care about us in the valley?

Once the winds start back up, the dust from this pit right off of U.S. 191 will blow all the way down the valley. The drainage ditch that he will be using flows all the way into Moab. We all need to rally against another pit going in just a short distance from the LeGrand Johnson’s gravel pit. One in this valley is more than enough. We need to help protect the homes just a few feet away from the pit’s boundaries. He needs to learn that life is not all about him.

A group of us went to San Juan County’s monthly commission meeting to complain and show our petition to stop this gravel pit. We found out that they can’t do much for us. Apparently, some rocket scientist in San Juan put gravel pits under the zoning of agricultural.

I for one realized that I was building a home near agricultural land, but, silly me, thought agricultural meant animals and/or crops. Who in their right mind would put a commercial gravel pit under the zoning of agriculture? What happened to industrial/commercial?

San Juan County wants you to move to the valley so they get our tax revenue to help improvements in Monticello, but they sure aren’t willing to help us in our time of need. What will this do to our property value and future development?

—Gail Darcey

Moab