Linda Wood, whose house was featured by every news outlet in the state following the Nov. 4 explosion, began her remarks by telling city officials, “I’m Linda Wood, and I live at ground zero.”
Woods’ home was condemned following the explosion after it suffered severe structural damage.
Investigators haven’t completed their reports, but the federal Chemical Safety Board announced late last week that the cause of the explosion was a pressurized hydrogen pipe which separated and sprayed hydrogen gas onto a nearby heater.
Wood told city council members at the special meeting Tuesday night that she would be opposed to any plan which would buy up properties near the refineries to create a buffer zone, because she loves her home and the area. However, she said she would like to see a taller wall built as a barrier.
She also thanked neighbors and the community for their help and support in helping move her possessions out of the house following the explosion.
She said the refinery has been very proactive in its safety efforts. “They’re awesome. They’re really trying,” she said.
The wall currently on site is 22 feet high on the refinery side and 14 feet high on the residential side. On Nov. 4, “It did its job,” South Davis Metro Fire Agency fire marshal Steve Cox said, and city manager Gary Uresk said there would have been more damage if the wall hadn’t been built.
Cox said the berm was required because the refinery initially proposed installing a hydrogen tank which was never built
Tuesday’s meeting, held at the Legacy Preparatory Academy across from the refinery, was packed with about 200 residents concerned about the refinery’s safety, many wanting the city to step in and shut the operation down.
After hearing the city’s presentation, resident Brian Rau said, “I don’t feel any safer at all.” He said he owns a small business, “and Layton would shut me down in a heartbeat if I was endangering my customers and neighbors.”
But Uresk and Cox said things aren’t that simple.
The city does not have the authority to regulate refineries, but can work with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board for more oversight and safety.
City officials detailed their interaction with Silver Eagle Refinery since an explosion on Jan 12, when a tank exploded, causing the evacuation of nearby homes and injuring four workers.
That interaction got off to a rocky start, but the refinery has since purchased a fire truck, given additional training to its personnel and purchased a foam system for its tank. Additionally, there is now a community group consisting of city and refinery officials and three area residents.
“Since the January incident, we have felt as a city Silver Eagle has made progress on safety issues,” Uresk said. And Woods Cross Mayor Kent Parry said the refinery “has made some good faith efforts towards improving safety.”
Some residents wondered when and why the Morningside Subdivision was approved so close to the refinery.
Parry said the area was initially rezoned residential in the late 1970s. City planner Tim Stephens said the subdivision was approved in the early to mid-90s, when Silver Eagle was required to build large berms surrounding the refinery.
Uresk said the city followed distance standards set in the International Fire Code, which at the time allowed housing as close as 175 feet away.
mwilliams@davisclipper.com
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