The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or service that it provides based on race, color, national origin, or based on gender or disability, or based on age, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 7, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. UDEQ will not tolerate intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination against any individual or group.
Title VI: Nondiscrimination Program
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the primary legal authority for the UDEQ’s external nondiscrimination programs. Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. Once an agency accepts federal funds, all its programs and activities are covered, regardless of their funding source. Section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments prohibits discrimination based on gender.
Demographic data
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) is required by federal nondiscrimination law to “collect, maintain, and … provide the following information: … Racial/ethnic, national origin, age, sex, and handicap data….” 40 C.F.R. § 7.85(a)(2). UDEQ collects demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau using the most recent data available. Citations are available for each type of data collected.
Total population
3,380,800
Sex
- Male: 1,716,117
- Female: 1,664,683
Age
- Under 5 years: 228,464
- 5 to 9 years: 253,833
- 10 to 14 years: 278,120
- 15 to 19 years: 277,956
- 20-24 years: 299,956
- 25-34 years: 494,776
- 35-44 years: 461,217
- 45-54 years: 373,195
- 55-64 years: 160,595
- 65 to 74 years: 245,616
- 75 to 84 years: 120,140
- 85 years and over: 37,943
Race
- White alone: 2,678,510
- Black or African American alone: 37,613
- American Indian or Alaskan native alone: 34,434
- Asian alone: 84,324
- Pacific Islander alone: 37,340
- Some other race alone: 210,508
- Two or more races: 298,071
- Hispanic or Latino: 512,086
- Not Hispanic or Latino: 2,868,714
Disability
- With a hearing difficulty: 99,882
- With a vision difficulty: 51,214
- With a cognitive difficulty: 159,787
- With an ambulatory difficulty: 127,227
- With a self-care difficulty: 49,663
- With an independent living difficulty: 108,749
Sources
- States, U. (2024). Explore Census Data. Census.gov
Accessed on September 23, 2024
Accessibility
Language Access Plan
The Language Access Plan reflects UDEQ’s commitment to serving Utahns of all backgrounds and cultures, including individuals with limited English proficiency. By adopting this Plan, UDEQ recognizes its obligation to provide meaningful access to programs, services, and activities by removing language-based barriers to public interaction.
Additionally, the Plan provides the procedures UDEQ follows in responding to requests for interpretation, translation, and other language services and assessing the need for language services.
Language assistance
If you speak a non-English language, we offer language assistance services for free. Call 385.332.9574.
Complaint procedures
The following options are available for people with concerns or complaints about services provided by UDEQ or UDEQ practices.
Informal complaints
UDEQ encourages anyone concerned about potential failure to provide services or discrimination in providing services to discuss the matter with UDEQ’s Nondiscrimination Coordinator. Individuals are not required to pursue the informal process first and may engage in the formal complaint (grievance) process as their first step if preferred.
The purpose of the informal complaint process is to make a good-faith effort to resolve the issue quickly and efficiently. However, the individual may ask to implement the formal process at any time during the informal resolution. If you have concerns about services provided by UDEQ or UDEQ practices, or if you would like to relay your experiences to UDEQ without making a formal complaint, please contact Sarah Ward at 385.335.9574 or [email protected].
Formal complaints (grievance)
If you believe that UDEQ has failed to provide services or discriminated in another way based on race, color, national origin (including language), disability, sex, or age, you can file a grievance with Sarah Ward at 385.335.9574 or [email protected]. The Grievance Procedure provides a process for filing a timely formal complaint to the appropriate authority. It also describes the process that will be used to investigate and resolve the complaint. The procedures do not apply to administrative actions that are being pursued in another forum.
If you would like to file a complaint, you may submit it online or complete and return the fillable Grievance Form or for a Title VI/Discrimination Complaint (non-employee).
If you would prefer to file a complaint about UDEQ or UDEQ’s practices with a different agency, a list of federal and state agencies and their contact information is included in the Grievance Procedure.
The grievance process also applies to subrecipients of federal funding. Formal grievances related to subrecipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation funding may be submitted to UDEQ. Formal grievances related to other subrecipients of federal funding may be submitted to federal agencies directly; please contact a nondiscrimination coordinator for more information.
Nondiscrimination coordinator
Sarah Ward
Nondiscrimination Coordinator
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
195 N 1950 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84116