{"id":1162,"date":"2018-05-04T01:36:59","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T07:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/echo-association.com\/?page_id=1162"},"modified":"2024-02-03T01:21:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T08:21:46","slug":"who-we-are","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/?page_id=1162","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"
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Who We Are<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

The Emigration Canyon Home Owners Association (“The ECHO-Association<\/em><\/a><\/span>“) is a\u00a0private organization currently registered with the State of Utah as a dba business entity<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>originally formed in January 2014<\/span><\/a> to pool information and resources providing a collective remedy for what the Third Amended Federal Complaint<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of the Emigration Canyon Lawsuit<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the pending Emigration Canyon Water Litigation<\/span><\/a> alleged to be over three decades of gross mismanagement of scarce water resources<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>by public officials<\/a><\/span>\u00a0of the Emigration Improvement District (“EID<\/em><\/span><\/a>” aka Emigration Canyon Improvement District aka ECID),\u00a0Emigration Canyon Mayor Joe Smolka<\/span><\/a>, the Simplifi Company<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and private land-developers R. Steve Creamer<\/span><\/a>, The Boyer Company L.C.<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0City Development Inc<\/a>.,\u00a0and the\u00a0<\/span>Butler Crockett & Walsh Development Corp<\/a>.<\/span><\/div><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Facts<\/span><\/div><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

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\u2666 \u00a0<\/span>Despite having tested positive since 1995 for all four (4) water sources<\/a><\/span>, in November 2019, EID General Manager Eric Hawkes<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of the Simplifi Company<\/a><\/span>\u00a0informed water users for the\u00a0first time in 25 years<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that the EID water system had surpassed federal levels for the mandatory reporting of\u00a0Lead Contamination<\/a><\/span>;<\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u2666 EID’s water sources had previously surpassed federal drinking-water standards for Lead<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Radioactive Contamination<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Antimony<\/a><\/span>, Turbidity<\/a><\/span>, Bacteria<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Sulfates<\/span><\/a>, and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)<\/a><\/span> without EID trustees and managers ever having warned its water users and “standby” customers;<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u2666 \u00a0Although 760 acres have been recently\u00a0listed for sale in Emigration Canyon under MLS Nrs. 1531520<\/span><\/a>, \u00a01531527<\/span><\/a>, \u00a01531802<\/span><\/a>, \u00a01578889<\/a>,\u00a01500208<\/a>,\u00a01617298,<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>1638507<\/a>, <\/span><\/span><\/span>1834120<\/a>\u00a0and <\/span><\/span><\/span>1834121<\/a><\/span>, and<\/span> Utah Open Lands\u00a0<\/span>recently expended $700,000.00<\/a>\u00a0(including $250,000.00 in public funds from Salt Lake Country taxpayers) “to save” 4.6 acres of the Owl Meadow\u00a0<\/span>from undisclosed private land-developers<\/a>;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u2666 \u00a0<\/span>Financial records however reveal that EID trustees Michael Scott Hughes<\/span><\/a>, David Bradford<\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span>Brent Tippets<\/a><\/span>\u00a0promised future water service to at least 98 vacant parcels<\/span><\/a>\u00a0including private land-developers and “EID Advisory Committee Members” R. Steve Creamer,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Walter J. Plumb III<\/a>, Steve Hook<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to include EID “independent contractor”\u00a0Bill Cutting<\/a>;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/h3>\n

\u2666 \u00a0<\/span>Despite repeated\u00a0public denials<\/a>, i<\/span><\/span>n January 2013, EID certified in public loan documents<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that it intends to provide water service to 900 homes in violation of its own\u00a0<\/span>buildout limits established in 1996<\/span><\/a>;<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/h3>\n

\u2666 \u00a0EID reported to the Utah Division of Drinking Water that even with 3 out of 4 large-diameter commercial wells in operation<\/a><\/span>, EID has almost 3x the water source capacity and more than 6x the water storage capacity<\/a><\/span>\u00a0needed to provide water service to its current customers<\/span>;<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/h3>\n

\u2666 \u00a0D<\/span>espite overwhelming evidence of Groundwater Mining<\/span><\/a> of Emigration Canyon’s Twin Creek Aquifer, and the destructive results\u00a0documented in\u00a0<\/span>Alicante, Spain<\/a>,\u00a0western and central United States<\/a>\u00a0and in\u00a0<\/span>Cedar Valley, Utah<\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0the State Engineer Kent L. Jones approved<\/span><\/a>\u00a0EID’s proposal to provide water service to over 500 new residential units in Emigration Canyon<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and a “Gun Range and Wedding Resort<\/a><\/span>” as previously certified<\/a><\/span> to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality;<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u2666<\/span> \u00a0The ECHO-Association estimates that groundwater levels in Emigration Canyon<\/a><\/span> have already\u00a0<\/span>dropped 40 – 120 feet in the past 30 years<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>drastically affecting private wells<\/span><\/a>, \u00a0drinking-water quality<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0fresh surface-water springs<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and riparian vegetation<\/span><\/a>; and,<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\u2666 \u00a0<\/span>Substantial reduction of the water\u00a0table through EID’s operation of Boyer Well Nr. 1 and the\u00a0Upper\u00a0Freeze Creek\u00a0Well may have led to massive fissures and ground subsidence in the Freeze Creek drainage area\u00a0<\/span>possibly threatening homes built in Red Hill Lane,\u00a0Margarethe Lane, Pioneer\u00a0Fork\u00a0Road, Pioneer Ridge Circle, Donner Hill\u00a0Circle, Last Camp Circle and Emigration Estates Road<\/span><\/a>\u00a0including possible contamination of the Twin Creek Aquifer.<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Our Purpose<\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h1>\n

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\u00a0\u2666\u00a0 Relieve Emigration Canyon taxpayers of $6.3 million of federally-backed debt<\/a><\/span>,<\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u2666<\/span>\u00a0 Protect against\u00a0Lead<\/a>,\u00a0Bacterial<\/a>, Chemical<\/a>, or\u00a0<\/span>Radioactive Contamination<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0drinking<\/span> water,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u2666 \u00a0<\/span>Prevent the continued\u00a0Groundwater Mining of Emigration Canyon Aquifers<\/a>,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u2666<\/span>\u00a0 Hold publicly elected officials<\/a><\/span> and private land-developers<\/a><\/span> accountable for the perhaps irreversible destruction of Utah’s birthplace<\/a>, and<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0\u2666\u00a0<\/span>Recover monetary damages<\/a><\/span> if an approved member<\/a><\/span>‘s residence is rendered uninhabitable<\/span><\/a> or if an approved member<\/a><\/span> was falsely promised future water service by EID<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/span><\/h3>\n

Due to the high-dollar value of the pending Emigration Canyon Lawsuit<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and Emigration Canyon Water Litigation<\/span><\/a>, all members of The ECHO-Association are and will remain confidential to the fullest extent allowed by law in order to prevent acts of defamation<\/a><\/span>, intimidation<\/span><\/a> or\u00a0retaliation<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/div><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Emigration Canyon Home Owners Association (“The ECHO-Association“) is a\u00a0private organization currently registered with the State of Utah as a dba business entity\u00a0originally formed in January 2014 to pool information and resources providing a collective remedy for what the Third Amended Federal Complaint\u00a0of the Emigration Canyon Lawsuit\u00a0and the pending Emigration Canyon Water Litigation alleged to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1162"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1162"}],"version-history":[{"count":313,"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9703,"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1162\/revisions\/9703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echo-association.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}