LETTER TO THE EDITOR: St. George City turns our backyards into a cesspool/drowning danger

On March 13, developers for Sunterra subdivision (entry located at 2700 S. 2110 East), with St. George city approval, “improved” the Little Valley Ditch by lowering the ditch bottom by 36 inches. When they reached the end of this new development, they abruptly stopped digging. No longer does the water flow; it is a stagnant swamp. When this ditch is filled to irrigate the St. George Golf Course, it becomes a 22 feet wide by 4 feet deep hazard for the neighborhood children.

Before the city and the developer arrived, this ditch was a peaceful, willow-laden ditch that ran during storms and when the golf course ponds were refilled. Now, it has muddy sides, a definite swampy odor, an Egyptian-style fly plague, mosquitoes breeding in the stale water, but mostly an ever present danger for neighborhood children. With muddy banks and no longer willows to grab for emergency egress, our neighborhood is less safe because of the city.

I have been communicating with city employees and elected officials since March 16. With one voice, they all say “be patient, we’re working on a solution.”

How long should we be patient when the very lives of our children are at stake?
I have “before” and “after pictures.”

On April 14, the ditch is being used to irrigate the St. George Golf Course and so is running at capacity.

Donald Johnson

St. George

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