Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MOAB — The Mighty 5 campaign has been a good thing for Utah and the communities surrounding its five national parks.
Nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, as well as Dead Horse Point State Park attract people from all over the world. In addition to this, the surrounding areas boast red rock that is used for mountain biking, rock climbing, and jeeping.
But too much of a good thing can also cause problems.
Moab has a population of about 5,000 people, but on any given weekend during the summer, the amount of people in town can skyrocket to 25,000, according to David Sakrison, the mayor of Moab.
“It kind of caught us unawares,” Sakrison said. “There's been some unintended consequences that we've had to face.”
That type of influx has put strains on different aspects of the town.
For instance, during the busy season — which Sakrison says lasts about 10 months — the crowds have caused traffic to become difficult to manage. Specifically, left-hand turns are difficult at intersections that lack traffic lights. At times, Main Street will get so crowded that cars will block intersections during red lights, causing major gridlock.
In addition to this, Moab is dealing with an aging wastewater treatment plant that is nearly 70 years old.
To ease the burden on the plant and cut down on its use, the city council barred human waste from Arches National Park from being processed at the plant. The park now has to transport waste to Wellington, about two and a half hours away.
Affordable housing and the cost of living are two other issues that have come from Moab's booming growth.
"It's kind of tough for people to find housing,” Sakrison said. "The city has been actively pursuing affordable housing. We've got a couple of projects online and, hopefully, that's going to ease up the housing situation.”
However, according to Randy Day, a realtor in the area since 1983 and state treasurer for the Utah Association of Realtors, regulations often get in the way.
"Yeah, they are pursuing it. If they get their regulations out of the way, we'd be done," he said.
The lack of affordable housing has made it tough for many who live and work in the area.
"A lot of people have two and three jobs just to be able to maintain and have a home," said Rebekah Pittman, a waitress at the Moab Diner.
In spite of this, many locals are optimistic about the future.
“I think we're lucky. Sure there are some challenges, but there's challenges everywhere," said Steve Kennedy, co-owner of GearHeads, an outdoor gear store in Moab. “Towns either grow or die and this one is growing and we're happy to see that.”
And as for the mayor, he says they will continue to tackle the problems as they come up to keep Moab an appealing town for residents and visitors alike.
“We are getting things done in the community slowly but surely. Sewer plant, roads, pipes, the whole 9 yards,” Sakrison said.
