Category: News

  • Utah Department of Environmental Quality Welcomes New Interim Executive Director Tim Davis

    March 3, 2025 SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Today, Tim Davis begins his tenure as the Interim Executive Director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), bringing a commitment to protecting the state’s land, air, and water while fostering responsible growth and development. Gov. Spencer J. Cox appointed Tim Davis as the interim executive…

  • 2024 State of the Environment

    The Department of Environmental Quality State of the Environment report highlights the many accomplishments and successes our agency has had throughout the previous year. Read our report to see each Division’s metrics, success stories, and quotes from partners.

  • October 2, 2024, Agenda: Air Quality Board Meeting

    Meeting Agenda

  • Summer Air Quality Concerns

    As the warm temperatures arrive in Utah, so does summer ozone pollution. Unlike winter’s thick inversions, ozone is odorless and colorless, and can typically not be seen with the eye. Reducing emissions from a number of sources is critical in limiting the formation of ozone.

  • Charge Your Yard Incentive Program 

    Small, gas-powered lawn equipment causes a lot of air pollution. In fact, using a 2-stroke gas-powered leaf blower for one hour is the same as driving the average vehicle 727 miles.

  • DEQ Announces New Interactive Recycling Map

    The Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control (DWMRC) has developed a new tool to help the public locate recycling, solid waste, and used oil collection center facilities.

  • What to know about spring runoff and its impacts on water quality

    Record snowfall brings concern for spring flooding Utah is having a record-breaking snow year – according to the latest report from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), we have surpassed the previous record of 26 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE). While the record precipitation is good news for the state’s ongoing drought, and waterbodies like…

  • Division of Waste Management & Radiation Control Statement:
    Intent to Deny Promontory Point Resources’ Class V Landfill Application

    SALT LAKE CITY – After thorough review of the Promontory Point Resources, LLC, application to reclassify its Class I Promontory Point Landfill to a Class V commercial nonhazardous solid waste facility, the Director of the Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control (DWMRC) has issued a statement of basis with the rational explaining the intent…

  • DEQ Receives State’s First Electric Truck

    The state’s new all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning is now being driven by DEQ employees after it was delivered on Oct. 18. It’s the first of five electric trucks the state will add to its fleet in a continued effort to improve air quality.

  • DEQ Statement – EPA EtO Announcement

    Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to address the risks posed by air emissions of ethylene oxide (EtO) from commercial sterilizers, and also identified specific facilities where lifetime cancer risk levels are elevated for people who live nearby. The medical sterilization facility BD Medical in Sandy (9450 State St.) was identified as one…

  • DEQ Names New Water Quality Director

    DEQ Executive Director Kim Shelley has appointed John Mackey to serve as the new Director of the Division of Water Quality (DWQ). He has served as the Interim Director of the Division since April of this year.

  • Project Summary: North Temple Landfill Redevelopment

    The North Temple Landfill, located on the northwest side of Salt Lake City, was operated by the City from approximately 1959 to 1979 when it was closed. Due to the size of the landfill, it has historically been divided into two sites: North Temple Landfill East, also known as the Bonneville Center, and the North…

  • January is National Radon Action Month
    Elevated levels of radon found in 1 in 3 Utah homes tested

    Radon is known as the slow, “silent killer.” You can’t smell it, taste it, or see it, but it’s the number one cause of lung cancer death for non-smokers. Although Utah has the lowest rate of smoking in the nation, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in our state.

  • Environmental Protection Agency Announces Cleanup at Utah Superfund Site: Jacobs Smelter to receive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funds

    The Environmental Protection Agency announced the Jacobs Smelter Superfund Site in Stockton, Utah, will receive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding. The funds will provide critical cleanup and work to protect human and environmental health. The Stockton site is among 49 sites across the country benefiting from the $1 billion investment from the BIL. “This funding…

  • Utah Department of Environmental Quality Celebrates 30th Anniversary: Safeguarding and Improving Utah’s Air, Land and Water Through Balanced Regulation Since 1991

    On July 1, 1991 the Utah Department of Environmental Quality was born. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary it’s important to look back on how the agency was created. It was former Governor Norm Bangerter who suggested DEQ become its own agency. It was created by consolidating six environmental health bureaus housed in the Utah…

  • Doug Hansen Named DWMRC Director

    DEQ Executive Director Kim Shelley announced today that she has appointed Doug Hansen as the new director of the Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control (DWMRC). Hansen currently serves as the program manager for the Underground Storage Tank Section within the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation.

Back to top