Forty One Acres Damaged In Salt Lake City Cemetery
SALT LAKE CITY, March 27, 2015 – Salt Lake City’s Public Services Department sent out a press release early Friday afternoon stating that a mistake was made during the cemetery’s herbicide process. Rick Graham, the director of Public Services for Salt Lake City stated that a city employee mistakenly applied the wrong type of herbicide to the turf in the cemetery. The herbicide that was applied was a non-selective product that kills turf and leafy ground cover last September.
In the cemetery, approximately 141 acres of healthy turf has been compromised with an estimate of 26 acres that are beyond restoration, seven acres experiencing 50 percent loss of growth and about eight acres that have 25 percent loss of growth. The most significant damaged area took place in the northeast corner of the cemetery but was spread about the entire cemetery. Two sections within the cemetery borders are owned and managed by the Jewish community of Salt Lake and the Mt. Calvary Catholic community. None of the damage is experienced in the two separately owned areas because they are managed by different organizations.
Personnel began to notice extraordinary discoloration and strain to turf in the cemetery in late February and early March. Once the damage was noted an investigation began immediately. The city became active by meeting with and interviewing cemetery employees to review procedures, job protocols and determine the cause of problem.
Herbicide applications take place one to two times per year by trained and certified employees in order to control the growth and spread of broad leaf plants.
“To maintain a cemetery this size and this active is a huge undertaking and requires skills, labor, exactness of work, good scheduling and a great deal of coordination,” said Graham.
Graham says he is unable to discuss discipline measures to the employee that made the mistake but confirmed that no one has been fired and there are no reasons to believe that it was done on purpose.
To restore the area has a financial impact that is estimated to be $250,000 to $600,000. A plan of action is being developed and the city has began meeting with local landscape companies to identify restoration options.
Most of the impacted area is to be reclaimed and restored through seeding, including the laying of new turf or sod in areas that have experienced a heavy loss. Final cost will be determined once all bids have been received. The removal of turf will be done through the thinning out process and bare dirt will be exposed and prepared for seeding.
Bountiful resident, David Sexton said that he has extended family that is buried in the Salt Lake City cemetery and he visits a couple times a year. He also said that the area looks a little less green than it usually does and this shouldn’t have happened.
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Restrictions will particularly take place during active restoration when the heavy thinning of destroyed turf is taking place. Grahm expressed his concern that citizens know that the same services and accesses will be provided for burials and sites even if in the restoration area.
“City’s efforts are focused on owning the problem, which we are doing, and taking immediate action to restore the damage. The city’s hope is to allow visitors to reach every grave site with as few restrictions as possible by the end of May and by the Memorial Day weekend,” said Graham. Then he went on to say, “It will be impossible to make all the corrections by Memorial Day but if work begins immediately and weather is our friend and stays on our side we can make a great deal of progress towards restoration.”
Graham says that the cemetery has received little inquiry regarding the mistake but is asking citizens and family members that have a desire to visit the cemetery to be patient with efforts and understand that the city is doing the best to correct the problem.
Plot owners that have questions for the cemetery are encouraged to contact the city sexton’s office at 801.596.5020.
The Salt Lake City Cemetery is publicly owned by the city. The first burial took place in 1847 and the cemetery was established and recorded as an official cemetery for Salt Lake City in 1848. Since then, approximately 123,000 burials have taken place. On average the cemetery has 450 burials per year.
