Though work on the new Bayview landfill has already begun, Provo won't have to do the rest alone, as a majority of the south Utah County cities have agreed to join the project.
Mayor Joe Jenkins said Spanish Fork, Salem, Mapleton, Springville and Goshen have agreed to share development costs in exchange for landfill use.Provo's city attorney is putting together a first-draft agreement. Once all documents are signed, bids will go out for excavation of the first cell to hold garbage at the landfill, Jenkins said.
The city expects HDR Techserv, a consulting firm hired by the city to help with planning, to present complete excavation plans for the cell this week.
Cell construction is the final stage before the landfill can open. A well already has been drilled, and a road, a water tank and maintenance shed have been constructed.
The landfill is on 640 acres of state-owned land southwest of Utah Lake, 51/2 miles north of Elberta. Provo controls the property on a 50-year lease from the state and pays $8,000 annually.
The city plans to excavate the site in 10-acre sections. Each cell will measure 400 feet by 1,100 feet and will be excavated to an average depth of 30 feet. It then will be lined with a synthetic material to prevent seepage.
A lechate system also will be part of the cell to make sure that none of the moisture goes into the ground. If there is moisture in the cell, the lechate drain line will take the moisture into a pond where it can evaporate.
Waste trucked to the facility will be covered with soil daily. Once the cell is full, a 6-foot cap of clay soil will be placed over the top to keep moisture out.
The landfill is being constructed to meet new Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The guidelines set strict specifications to protect ground and surface water from seeping landfill contamination.
Monitoring wells in the area also will be used to test the water.
But before any documents are completed, Provo will go to the county Board of Adjustments to get permission to take other cities' garbage out to the landfill, Jenkins said.
Then the city plans to build a transfer station, most likely in the Spanish Fork or Payson area. All garbage will be taken to the transfer station and compacted for transportation to the landfill.
Jenkins said several recycling companies have expressed interest in building a recycling center next to the transfer station. The city will lose between 10 percent and 15 percent of the waste at the transfer station when paper, aluminum and metal products are taken out and the garbage is compacted.
Total cost for development of the landfill will be about $6.5 million, he said. Provo will divide the pie to determine what percentage each city should pay.
After a year in operation, Provo will have records to show what each city has put into the landfill and then will adjust costs. A landfill board will be organized with representation from each city. Votes will be distributed according to city size.
The Springville City Council voted last week to join in the landfill on the condition the city have proper representation on the planning board. City officials also met with Spanish Fork to see where that city stands on the issue.
Springville officials said they were concerned about being overpowered by "big brother," but by joining forces and agreeing on the issues, the cities will have as much voice as Provo.
Jenkins said he is happy that the other cities have decided to join in the landfill, but he is still concerned about those people who live in the outlying areas in the county.
He wants Utah County to join in development so that county residents can use the facility as well. "What about those in Palmyra or Benjamin where there is no garbage service? They will use the facility too and need to pay something toward costs."
One of the cities in the south county area not going in on the Bayview landfill is Payson. The city has a big landfill that could take care of its needs for 100 years, but Jenkins said Payson probably will want to join too when the EPA enforces its regulations because the cost of meeting EPA requirements will be prohibitive.
Developing a new dump site is Provo's No. 1 priority because its current landfill is at capacity. The Bayview landfill is expected to last a minimum of 50 years, said Dale Stephenson, manager of the city's Sanitation and Street Division.
Jenkins said the garbage dump should open by July 1989.