What I know…

Jon Neves

Process of Rewrite:
When I started to rewrite this paper, I attempted to redraft my introduction to the problem several times. Unfortunately, every attempt seemed to be a weak imitation of the initial opening. After the third or fourth attempt at rewriting the lead-in, I determined that the original was the best that I was going to come up with, so I decided to retain it.
I then went on to revisit my solutions. In my first paper, I only came up with one viable alternative to the current method of handling the problem. However, after careful deliberation and much thought I was able to come up with a resolution that I think is almost equally as viable as my original answer. Nevertheless, there was a more sound argument against the new solution, so I decided to retain the original as the best one for this problem.
Other than adding one small part, and making some minor grammatical, punctuation, and word changes to the primary document, I decided to keep the paper relatively intact.

Ethics of Development: Revised
Flooding is a cyclic and natural occurrence. Rain and melting snow cause rivers to rise and streams and lakes to overflow their banks onto the surrounding land. Floods have etched out these areas, known as floodplains, for the specific purpose of carrying excess floodwaters. Homes, businesses, and even whole communities abound in floodplain areas, giving little regard to the purpose and function of floodplains. The development of these floodplains has resulted in continual and oftentimes severe economical loss.
The weather in Utah is prone to extremes, being either exceptionally dry or exceedingly wet. In the wet cycles, landslides and debris flows are common in the Utah foothills along the base of the Wasatch Range. In 1983 alone, landslides and floods, caused by rapid melting of a record snow pack, accounted for hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
The 1981-82 water year, precipitation measured from October 1 of one year to September 30 of the following year, broke all previous records in Utah, and September 1982 climaxed with ten times more moisture than normal. However, that “once-in-a-century flood” was but a shadow of things to come. Although January and February of 1983 proved mild, records where again broken in March as torrents of rain and snow continued to fall on soil that could no longer absorb moisture. Then April roared in and eclipsed the moisture level for March. May reached a pinnacle overall. Rain and snow forestalled signs of spring until the month’s end when temperatures soared into the 80s. Mountain snowdrifts melted furiously into swollen streams and sodden ground, and by Memorial Day, temperatures were in the 90s.
The water impregnated soil led to the disastrous Thistle landslide which blocked a main highway and railroad corridor and dammed a river, drowning a community and costing more than $200 million. Utah Lake breeched its shores and washed over the I-15 highway, and the River Bottoms in Spanish Fork disappeared under more than 4 feet of water. That was also when the face of Mahogany mountain started its ominous decent toward the city of Cedar Hills.
Recent landslides in 1997 and 1998 caused major damage throughout the Wasatch Front. The 2001 landslide in Layton destroyed several homes and cost the community and homeowners more than $1 million. The landslide on Mahogany mountain, which started in 1983, abruptly ended its journey in 2005 at the back doors of many newly constructed homes, costing millions of dollars in repairs and clean up and leaving in its wake several homeless families. Nearly all of these recent landslides occurred in areas of pre-existing geological instability.
Just over twenty years after it was flooded, a large section of the Spanish Fork River Bottoms is now under the process of developmental planning. In their haste to secure new tax revenue for the city, and financial profit for the developers, the city planners have neglected the issue of flood hazard for this historically unstable area. Should the tax paying citizens have to shoulder the responsibility when the inevitable happens? If history is an indicator, the answer to that is a fervent yes!
Traditionally, planning for flood control has focused on providing emergency relief and recovery assistance to flood victims following a disaster, and protecting existing development(s) through structural works such as dams, diversions, or levees. These endeavors, while crucial, are expensive and leave the burden chiefly on the taxpayers and homeowners. Moreover, these methods have not been wholly effective in reducing flood damages. Despite considerable expenditure on flood control works, annual damages due to flooding continue to rise, meanwhile, developers heedlessly collect their money and move on to the next project.
It is apparent that there is a need for an alternative to the current system of flood management, one that does not place the onus solely on the taxpayer. While we do need to maintain and enhance the current system of structural works and continue to provide relief and recovery assistance, we need to be proactive rather than reactive in our flood management policies.
One alternative is to close all floodplain areas off to development. To make this effective, we would need to buy out and relocate people whose properties are already located in floodplain areas. We could then find alternate uses for the bought out floodplain properties. The destruction of such things as parks and picnic areas would not be so devastating as homes and businesses.
The downside of this is the resistance that would develop from the people who are losing their properties. There would also be a substantial upfront cost to the taxpayers. Furthermore, this policy would dramatically limit the growth of development in many areas of Utah, creating opposition from developers and city planners alike. The planners, in addition to being afraid to tell developers no, would not like the idea of limiting their tax potential, and the developers would obviously refuse to accept a limit to easy profit.
I think that there is a more reasonable and equitable solution. In order to procure approval to develop an area the developers should be required to finance studies on the geological area, and provide the structural developments to ensure the future safety of the new communities. Furthermore, it should be mandatory that homeowners seeking to purchase in these hazardous areas be informed of the danger up front, and the developers must guarantee availability of insurance coverage for the existing hazard threatening the community. In addition, homeowners should be required to carry said insurance, thus alleviating much of the financial burden on the taxpayers.
Developers may view this as an unfair responsibility. However, they must be held to a degree of liability in flood management to cause them to look beyond the financial benefits, and care for the long-term well being of the communities they are creating. If there is no accountability beyond the development of new communities, developers lack incentive to be concerned about the future of the development. Conversely, when developers know that once the project is complete they are still responsible to return and help clean up a disaster area that might have been prevented, they will be more inclined to take the necessary steps to avoid the problem in the first place.
It would be absurd to think that we can avoid all devastation caused by acts of nature, but if we share the responsibility and hold all parties equally liable, I believe we can make great strides in lowering the impact of natural disasters on our communities and economic resources. Additionally, we must learn to work with the forces of nature instead of simply trying to eliminate them. If we do not, we will continue to pay the price in human tragedy and money. In the end, nature always trumps man-made developments.

James Swinnerton’s painting “Agatha’s Needle (El Capitan)” depicts a majestic rock formation rising out of the desert landscape. In this oil on canvas, a passing cloud shades the dark vertical shape of Agatha’s Needle which is silhouetted against a stormy sky. Swinnerton uses patterns of intense sunlight in the foreground, and deep shade in concert with fleeting beams of light behind to suggest that the storm is moving toward the observer. The shadowy face of the peak emphasizes its simple, bold form, muting the details of its surface as it rises above the tempestuous clouds.
Sagebrush and desert plants in the foreground imply that there is life in the otherwise barren wasteland, while the grey road, juxtaposed against the red soil of the desert, leads the eye of the viewer toward the main subject of the painting, “Agatha’s Needle”. To give depth to the painting, Swinnerton employs muted grays and blues in the background to contrast with the bright colors of the foreground. These colors also serve to emphasize the darker, more pronounced colors of the primary object.
While traditional landscape paintings often include trees, rocks, or other objects on both sides of the picture to contain the image, guide the viewer back, and give a sense of completeness, Swinnerton dispenses with these framing elements and emphasizes unbroken horizontal lines to give a sense of incompleteness, implying that the sweeping landscape is too large to fit on the canvas. Though he utilizes no traditional stoppers in his painting the broad hard lines of the frame serve that purpose, and bring the viewer back into the painting.
James Swinnerton uses shape as well as color to create movement and mood in his painting. The straight lines and angles of the landscape emphasize the soft round shapes of the clouds, creating the feel of advancement in the storm even while creating a mood of tranquility, the calm before the storm. Using fine, soft brush strokes Swinnerton creates a truly life-like feel to his painting. Additionally, his clever execution of shape and color give the illusion of texture, though a close inspection of the canvas reveals a flat satin finish. This illusion of texture lends to the realism of the painting, making it seem as though you could reach out and pick up a stone, or even pluck a branch from the sage brush.
“Agatha’s Needle (El Capitan)” is a beautiful piece of American art. The grand pinnacle stands alone amongst the vast expanse of the desert landscape, suggesting isolation, solitude, or even spiritual power that can be found among the awe inspiring vistas of the American southwest. There is a sense of the “American Spirit” in Swinnerton’s painting, letting one believe that there are still places to explore, places where one can escape the congestion of modern life, and return to the simpler times of yesteryear. More than seventy years later the paintings message remains. This is a timeless piece of art, a classic example of the American southwest, sure to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Agatha's Needle (El Capitan)