The new $1.9 million landfill in Sevier County has moved one step closer to reality with the purchase of 461 acres of federal land from the Bureau of Land Management.

The price was $10 per acre, amounting to $4,610, according to County Clerk Steve Wall.The state approved a permit for the solid-waste landfill facility before the county's purchase. Monthly landfill fees will about double the current $3.75 charge.

The landfill will be used by communities and county residents in outlying areas in the southern and central area of the county, but the north Sevier area hasn't committed, Wall said.

Officials are hopeful that Salina, Redmond and Aurora will participate. The landfill will be in Sage Flat, southeast of the town of Sigurd.

Most communities have abandoned municipal dump sites because they are too expensive to operate under new, stringent rules of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Towns and small cities in Sevier and many other rural Utah counties have opted to operate joint landfills under county direction that will meet EPA requirements even though the new sites are frequently a considerable distance away, necessitating long garbage hauls.

Most Sevier County communities have been using a county landfill for some time, located north of Glenwood, also on BLM land. That site is nearing capacity and will be abandoned when the new landfill is operational, Wall said.

Meanwhile, Salina is still operating its own dump site, also used by Redmond and Aurora.

Sevier County Commissioner Gene Mendenhall, who is responsible for the landfill, said completing the land sale and purchase has not been easy. "It has involved a great deal of work by everyone involved in order that the county comply with state and federal regulations," he said.

Mendenhall said county officials have worked with private land owners, state and federal agencies for about three years.

The decision by the BLM to sell the land was authorized through the federal Recreation and Public Purpose Act. Officials wanted to find a site that would serve the county's needs for several years, said Dave Henderson, area manager for the Sevier River BLM Resource Area.

The site will be developed not only in compliance with federal regulations but in accordance with Utah State Department of Environmental Quality operating standards, Henderson said.

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BLM real-estate specialist Gary Hall said 10 sites were rejected because of problems related to ground water, visual aspects, protests by surrounding land owners, poor soils and hauling expenses.

The annual operating cost is projected to be about $475,000. Residents will pay about $439,000 and business owners about $36,000 for the right to have their garbage deposited in the landfill.

Garbage is now hauled by a private company under contracts approved by community leaders. The policy is expected to continue. The service is optional for commercial enterprises and households, however.

The indebtedness is $1.5 million. A 2.5 percent interest loan from the Permanent Community Impact Board will be amortized by landfill fees over the next 20 years. The county financed about $400,000 from its own coffers.

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