Utah company offers free cyclone sand to help prepare for flooding

BLUFFDALE, Utah — Geneva Rock, a Utah-based firm identified for producing ready-mix concrete, is getting consideration for one more product.

It is named cyclone sand and Geneva Rock has a variety of it at its Bluffdale plant.

“There may be 80,000 tons on this pile proper now,” Jay Ritchie mentioned, pointing to at least one huge pile of sand.

Ritchie, president of Geneva Rock, mentioned cyclone sand is totally different from common sand. It has a finer texture and a larger density when packed.

“Common sand, it has extra openings and holes, the water goes to have the ability to circulation via it. This, it’s so dense, it would soak up the water and maintain the water again,” he mentioned.

That makes cyclone sand good for sandbags.

With so many Utah communities involved about potential flooding this spring due to the heavy winter snowpack within the mountains, Geneva Rock has determined to provide it to Utah cities and counties at no cost.

The corporate has already provided 10 cities alongside the Wasatch Entrance with cyclone sand.

“We perceive and know some individuals are going to have actual challenges developing and we need to be part of the answer to assist them with that downside,” Ritchie mentioned.

Alpine and Springville are two of the cities that introduced dump vans to Geneva Rock’s Mount Jordan pit on Wednesday.

The cyclone sand is loaded onto their vans and transported to the place it’s wanted.

“We really feel it is very important take precautions and make the sandbags accessible to our residents,” Shane Sorensen, Alpine’s metropolis administrator and public works director mentioned. “We’ve 25,000 sandbags available and have one other 10,000 on order.”

The cyclone sand Alpine received from Geneva Rock is positioned in a pile outdoors the town’s public works constructing. Residents can fill sandbags for his or her private use at no cost.

“It’s a superb barrier to maintain water the place you need it,” Sorensen mentioned.

For cities, the free sand is a means to economize, figuring out that flood preparations could also be extra essential than ever.

“It’s a fantastic donation by them to the entire residents round right here,” Sorensen mentioned. “It is vitally uncommon up right here to have snow this low right now of yr.”

With the quantity of snow nonetheless within the mountains, all of it depends upon how briskly it melts. Geneva Rock mentioned it would maintain serving to cities and counties so long as potential.

“So long as we’re producing sand, we’re producing cyclone sand together with it,” Ritchie mentioned. “We’re pleased to assist.”

If cities have an interest within the free cyclone sand, they’ll contact Geneva Rock. They may even ship the sand to communities however will cost a transport price to take action.