Earthquakes in Utah: how we can save lives AND the economy

You've probably heard it before, but Utah is due to experience a major earthquake. The Wasatch Fault has a 43% chance of experiencing a 6.75 or greater magnitude earthquake in the next 50 years, and experts project that such an event would be among the deadliest disasters in U.S. history. Many also worry that Utah's economy and way of life may never fully recover from an earthquake of this magnitude.

That's why Envision Utah has worked with the Utah Seismic Safety Commission to identify the top recommendations for how our state can increase our resiliency and our preparedness in the face of a major earthquake. Check out the recommendations below:

Keep Water Flowing

In the event of a major earthquake on the Wasatch fault, water and sewer service across the Wasatch Front is projected to be disrupted for more than a million people for many months. That's why our first recommendation is to invest in seismic improvements for the four major water aqueducts that serve over two million residents.

Keep Our Kids Safe

In Utah, unreinforced masonry buildings (URMs) pose the greatest risk to life in the event of a major earthquake. There are 119 schools with URM construction where at least 76,000 Utah children spend much of their time. The idea is to reduce the danger to Utah children who attend school in these seismically unsound buildings. In addition to protecting Utah’s students, addressing URM school buildings is important so these schools can serve as emergency shelters or gathering places during and after a disaster. 

Keep our Communities and Markets Informed

URM buildings are scattered across the state and include single-family homes, multifamily structures, and offices. The vast majority of deaths and injuries will happen in these buildings, yet public awareness of the risk is low. This leads to our third recommendation to increase public awareness of the high risk from Utah’s 140,000 unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. Improved public awareness will increase market function and efficiency and apply market pressure to upgrade more of these buildings.

Keep Our Buildings Standing

Almost half of the buildings that will exist in 2060 have not yet been built, and many of our existing buildings will be rebuilt in that same timeframe. It is vital that future building inspections require adequate building code enforcement. Ensuring these new buildings quickly return to functionality following a large-magnitude earthquake is key to keeping Utahns in their homes, at their jobs, and continuing life as normal. Utah’s building code is an important tool, requiring that seismic protection be incorporated into building design and construction. 

Envision Utah earns three APA Awards in 2022

High Achievement Award: Blueprint Jordan River 2022

The Blueprint Jordan River Refresh is a comprehensive and action-oriented vision for Utah’s longest urban parkway, updated to address new and emerging opportunities and challenges.

Check out the Blueprint Jordan River →

High Achievement Award: Growth Messaging Guide 2022

The tips and principles in this messaging guide helps you talk to Utahns about population growth — and the related issues of housing, transportation, and quality of life — in ways that are most likely to resonate with Utahns & lead to more productive conversations about how we grow.

Check out the Growth Messaging Guide→

Award of Merit: Creating Communities Guide 2022

This guide is an informative tool for city staff, officials, planners, and the general public to learn more about creating centers as a strategy to accommodate Utah’s growing population while maintaining our high quality of life.

Check out the Creating Communities Guide →

2022: In Review

2022 was a great year for Envision Utah! Check out our 2022 Annual Report to learn about the scope of our efforts throughout the year to make Utah's vision for the future a reality.

In the news

Utah Business

The pandemic resulted in fewer commuting vehicles, which positively impacted air pollution. With Covid subsiding, the air quality is starting to decline again. Companies in the state, such as The Chevron Salt Lake Refinery, have collaborated with Envision Utah in the past to talk about ways to support cleaner air through strategies like offering telework options to eligible employees.

Standard Examiner

As Utah grows the administration of Gov. Spencer Cox is spearheading a campaign to get a handle on the expansion, in partnership with Envision Utah. As Ari Bruening sees it, the aim of the Guiding our Growth effort — spearheaded by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget — is to come up with strategies to accommodate growth “that maintain the qualify of life we all enjoy.”

The Salt Lake Tribune

Elected leaders and policy experts are seeking to learn more about how Utahns truly feel about the growth in Utah. To do so, Guiding Our Growth, focus on collecting these answers. Envision Utah and other counterparts have led community discussions and surveys to key in on residents' opinions. Envision encourages Utahns to brainstorm solutions on how to accommodate to the growth.

For 25 years, Envision Utah has brought Utahns together to tackle some of the biggest challenges related to growth — and you have made that happen. But whether we’re talking about air quality, water use, transportation, education, disaster resilience, or a host of other issues, there’s more work to be done. When you support Envision Utah, you’re helping to create a bright future for our state.

Thank you for your support!