Impacts of a Shivwits Reservation Airport

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Reef Capital/Black Desert 4-golf course resort plans include building a private airport on the Shivwits Reservation for the ease and comfort of ultra-wealthy private jet setter golfers who might otherwise, like everyone else, have to drive the 25 miles from the St. George regional airport (SGU) to the Shivwits reservation.

Neither the Shivwits people nor residents of Ivins, Santa Claira, or St. George want this airport. Nor will they stand for the noise, air pollution, health risks, and loss of property values caused being under the flight path of an airport serving the convenience of wealthy non-resident resort guests, golfers, celebrities, and television personnel. 

 An Airport for the Convenience of Jetsetters 

We now have the adjacent site plan for the airport Reef wants to build for the ultra-high net worth tourists, golfers, celebrities and investors it hopes to attract. 

Size: The terminal is 35,000 square feet—the same size as the terminal at St. George Regional Airport. The plan includes a 6,000-foot runway, fuel farm, 60 hangars, ground support vehicle area, emergency services and fire staging facility, and 300 passenger parking spaces on the south side of Old Highway 91 about 3 1/2 miles west of Ivins. That is large enough to handle most business jets and some small airliners, with 25 to 75 takeoffs and 25 to 75 landings every day. Experts warn that the predictable noise, air pollution, health problems and costs of Reef’s airport would be extremely detrimental to the health and well-being of residents on and off the reservation.  Air traffic from the new airport is expected to fly at low altitudes when landing at this proposed resort airport--over the reservation from the west and over St. George and Ivins neighborhoods from the east. 

Noise. Most business jets have wings designed with low drag and landing speeds of 130 to 150 miles per hour. They fly low and slow as they take off and land. The noise level of a Gulfstream G450 on approach is 92.3 EPNdB (Effective Perceived Noise in Decibels). That is equivalent to the 90 to 95 decibels we hear from a motorcycle or heavy truck a few feet away. Takeoff noise is 15 decibels higher than that. Decibel levels above 85 are considered harmful to hearing, especially with 1 prolonged exposure. The noise from dozens of private jets landing and taking off over our homes, schools, and churches whenever wind and weather point them in our direction is a serious threat to our peaceful environment and quality of life. 

Air pollution. Small private planes generate more pollution from CO2, nitrogen oxides, and unburned hydrocarbons than larger aircraft with more efficient engines. They also cause a higher concentration of ground level ozone pollution from unburned hydrocarbons, especially in desert regions where high levels of sunlight increase the production of hydrocarbons. Most unburned hydrocarbon emissions occur during takeoff and landing. Health Problems. Research shows that proximity to small airports increases the risk of serious health problems due to air pollution as well as noise pollution. Ultrafine particulate matter from black carbon penetrates deeply into lungs and correlates with increased lung problems, asthma and cardiovascular problems as well as increased rates of premature deaths, premature births, oxidative DNA damage and childhood leukemia. Ground level ozone and unburned hydrocarbons from private jets are linked to reduced lung function, chronic respiratory diseases, and increased risk of cardiovascular problems. The lead in piston engine aircraft fuel used by small piston engine airplanes also leads to serious health issues, especially in children. 

Environmental Pollution: The former Apex Plant Site on the land where the airport will be built is a former hazardous material dump site sanctioned by the EPA in 2001 for improper storage and disposal of hazardous wastes, including toxic levels of the cancer-causing chemical chromium. Apex dumped dangerous chemical wastes into the plant’s retention and wastewater ponds for 4 years, which the EPA said posed a "moderate risk of exposure to humans and wildlife.”  

A wildfire caused by young Utah arsonists burned a third of the Shivwits Reservation in June of 2003, including the area around the plant. This fire swept through the plant location two months BEFORE Apex began to implement EPA required chemically hazardous chromium cleanup operations. A fire near chromium contamination would have caused a highly dangerous environmental and public health scenario. According to Stanford, thermal oxidation of chromium turns it into its most toxic, carcinogenic form, which then spreads rapidly through air for up to 6-9 miles and leaches into water and soil. Fire-oxidized chromium is a known human carcinogen. Exposure via air particles or contaminated water has been shown to cause increased incidence of lung, nasal, and sinus cancers, liver and kidney damage, asthma and chronic bronchitis.    

In the years after the fire, Apex claimed it cleaned up the site. However, capped retention ponds continue to be present on the property. The Shivwits have not been allowed to test the contents for toxic chemical remainders or chromium because it is deemed "too dangerous."  It is highly likely hazardous chemical remainders continue to be present in the retention pond and within the soil and will be disturbed by airport construction and distributed via air, soil, and water.

Health Hazards: See extensive material below on the health hazards of living near a small airport. Further health hazards will be incurred from the disturbance of chemically contaminated soil of the Apex plant by airport construction, causing chemical remainders in the soil so spread via wind and by contaminants leeching into the water.  

Fire Risk: The Reef/Black Desert airport plan includes a fuel barn to fuel small aircraft. According to the US Forest Service, "operating activities at small desert airports and localized fuel barns present severe fire risks due to the high volatility of stored aviation fuels (Avgas and Jet-A), frequent mechanical and electrical ignition sources, and the rapid spread of invasive desert grasses that act as ready-made fuel beds. High ambient temperatures in arid regions significantly lower the threshold for fuel ignition, turning minor ground mishaps into large-scale wildfires."  

Taxpayer expense. The Reef/Black Desert plan for 300 passenger parking spaces contradicts its claim that resort guests will shuttle between Black Desert Resort’s Ivins and Shivwits properties in hotel vans. Jetsetters are unlikely to do that. Local residents will be taxed for the roads and emergency services required for Reef’s elite guests. 

Reduced property values. Studies show that proximity to a small airport reduces residential property values by as much as 20%, because of noise, air pollution impacts. Real estate agents in Ivins have already noticed the negative effect of Reef/Black Desert golf course, resort, and airport plans on decreased local area sales as buyers have expressed concern about purchasing homes near Reef/Black Desert' planned golf course resort and airport. In early September of 2026, one local real estate agent had a home purchase deal in neighboring Kayenta fall through because of concerns about Reef's Shivwits reservation the golf course resort and airport. 

More Extensive Info & Data on the Health & Environmental Impacts of Reef's Airport:

1. Air Quality Degradation from Reef/Black Desert Shivwits Reservation Airport 

• Localized air quality issues are measurably worse near small airports such as the one planned by Reef Capital/Black Desert due to increased emissions from frequent takeoffs and landings and because many smaller planes are less fuel efficient and burn more pollutant-generating emissions. The air quality in neighborhoods surrounding small airports is also significantly degraded due to unburned hydrocarbons from small airplanes and jets. Measurable air pollution levels of sulfur oxides, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds are higher closer to airports. 

• Small airports produce higher pollution emissions due to less efficient older engines, increased fuel burn, and a higher concentration of emissions due to frequent takeoffs and landings. These small planes generate more pollution from CO2, nitrogen oxides, and unburned hydrocarbon emissions than larger aircraft with more efficient engines. Emissions from small planes located in areas like SW Utah with high levels of sunlight cause photochemical reactions producing even greater amounts health-harming hydrocarbons, which are then expelled into the environment, especially during take-off and landing.  

2. Negative Health Impacts of Reef/Black Desert Shivwits Reservation Airport

• The incidence of respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD has been found to be 17% higher and cardiovascular problems 9% higher in those who lived within 6.2 miles of an airport. Ultrafine particulate matter, unburned hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and lead have been associated with increased neurological issues, kidney and liver disease, lymphoma, and other types of cancer. 

• Ultrafine particulate matter from black carbon is one of the most concerning health issues related to small airport proximity. Ultrafine particulate matter has been shown to penetrate deeply into lungs, and is correlated with asthma and cardiovascular problems, including increased ER visitation near airports for heart attacks and asthma. A review of 70 studies gleaned from 3,301 articles found ultrafine particulate matter near airports to be identified with adverse health impacts, including “increased rates of premature death, pre-term births, decreased lung function, oxidative DNA damage, and childhood leukemia." 

• Ground level ozone and unburned hydrocarbons from small airports are associated with negative health impacts, with children and seniors at greatest risk. Long term exposure to ground level ozone has been correlated with reduced lung function, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and increased risk of cardiac problems.

• The EPA published an official "endangerment finding" for the leaded aviation gasoline Reef/Black Desert will stock at its new airport and identifies lead in piston engine aircraft fuel as an "urgent public health issue."  Also, according to the EPA, “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions in our air." Unlike Jet aircraft used for commercial transport which don't operate on leaded fuel, 170,000 small piston engine airplanes in the US use a fuel called Avgas which contains dangerous levels of lead. The fuel is so hazardous to small airports and surrounding neighborhoods that the EPA's hopes to outlaw Avgas by 2030. Unfortunately, the prohibition of Avgas is unlikely as no feasible alternative fuel yet exists for piston aircraft. The EPA compared the severity of the health hazards of lead exposure from the Avgas used in piston engine aircraft to the lead exposures which occurred in Flint Michigan when thousands of children were exposed to toxic lead in the water supply and evidenced increased incidence of developmental delays, behavioral issues, and permanent neurological damage. Per the EPA in 2023, "there is no evidence of a threshold below which there are no harmful effects on cognition from lead exposure." Despite these clearly articulated dangers and the EPA's endangerment finding, Reef/Black Desert airport plans include storage facilities for lead-containing fuels and use lead-based Avgas to fuel small piston planes. Shivwits and Ivins residents living within 5 miles of the airport, especially children, along with air, soil, and water, will be at increased risk for lead contamination. See the adjoining site plan picture illustrating the Reef/Black Desert airport plans for a fuel farm for lead-containing Avgas.

• The former Apex Plant Site on the land where the airport will be built is a former hazardous material dump site sanctioned by the EPA in 2001 for the improper storage and disposal of hazardous wastes, including Apex dumping dangerous chemical wastes into the plant’s retention and wastewater ponds for 4 years, which per the EPA posed a "moderate risk of exposure to humans and wildlife.” Apex/OMG Americas paid $900,000 to empty and clean the waste ponds in the early 2000's, but EPA standards for hazardous material clean ups are much more stringent now than they were then.  It is highly likely hazardous chemical remainders are still present in the soil and will be disturbed and distributed via air, soil, and water by airport construction. 

4. Noise pollution generated by small planes and jet traffic will negatively impact human health and disrupt wildlife, especially since the Shivwits reservation airport planes be taking off and landing within 4 miles of Shivwits and Ivins neighborhoods. Chronic exposure to noise pollution has been linked to cardiovascular problems, sleep disturbances, and a range of other health issues on people. Studies reveal wildlife to also be adversely impacted by increased noise levels of airports which causes habitat displacement, decreased reproduction in some bird species, and lower breeding rates in birds and animals. Since the Shivwits Reservation lands host four endangered species and an intact ecosystem of other flora and fauna, the impact of placing a small, busy airport will be harm these the entire ecosystem.  

5. Water pollution from small private airports occurs when chemically toxic run-off leaches into area streams and wells, causing surface water or groundwater pollution. Airport runoff water contains hazardous pollutants and contaminants including heavy metals, lead, glycols, detergents, PCBS, pesticides, formaldehydes, and phenols. The risk to the Santa Clara River, which is downhill from the planned Reef/Black Desert Shivwits reservation airport, is significant, especially with seasonal downpours cascading polluted water from the airport into the river and downstream into wells and groundwater. Airport pavement is contaminated by toxic chemicals used for refueling, fuel storage, transportation, airplane repair, and de-icing. These groups of pollutants are highly toxic and carcinogenic and will also flow downhill, causing further health and environmental harms. 

6. Night Sky Light Pollution from airport and airplane lights will occur in night sky communities of Ivins and the Shivwits Band Reservation. Lights from the airport and incoming and outgoing planes flying low will negatively impact night sky visibility and adversely affect and disorient animals dependent on the desert night for survival.  

7.  Decreased property values occur near small airports: Because small airports adversely impact health, the environment, and quality of life, research indicates that property values in nearby neighborhoods are decreased. Not only do increased noise levels deter potential buyers, but air quality and health related concerns are implicated in property value reductions. 

Please see the accompanying sections on the Environmental Impact, Health Consequences, and effect on the regions Water Resources of the Reef/Black Desert resort on Shivwits Band of the Paiute Tribe Trust Lands.