Utah's congressional delegation has scheduled a long-promised hearing to address safety concerns regarding construction of the Jordanelle Dam near Heber City.
It is scheduled Saturday, Feb. 1, from 9 a.m. to noon at Wasatch High School, 64 E. 600 South, in Heber.The hearing is intended to discuss findings of a recent review by the U.S. Geological Survey of plans for the dam, which is part of the Central Utah Project.
That review concluded the dam's design and site are safe and found no evidence that U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials covered up data that critics say showed otherwise.
Among witnesses scheduled for the hearing are the man who oversaw that report - Jim Devine, USGS assistant director for engineering and geology - and some of the top critics of the dam, including geologist Leon Hansen of West Valley City.
Also scheduled to appear are experts in seismology and geology, Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director Roland Robison and Utah Department of Natural Resources Director Dee Hansen.
Wasatch County Commission Chairman Moroni Besendorfer is also scheduled to testify - and the congressional delegation urged citizens who want any specific questions addressed at the meeting to submit them in advance to the Wasatch County Commission.
The meeting will be an official congressional field hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. It will be led by Sen. Jake Garn, R-Utah, who is a member of that committee.
Garn will co-host the hearing with Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, and Reps. Wayne Owens and Bill Orton, D-Utah.