SARATOGA SPRINGS — A proposal to allow a demolition company to dump more debris near the city's boundaries was trashed by Saratoga Springs officials.
Not a single member of the Saratoga Springs City Council likes the idea, which will open the door to 10 times more traffic in a neighborhood in the city built at the shore of Utah Lake.
The council's stance against the plan may not mean much, however.
The council's action bears no legal sway. Landfills are overseen by the Utah Legislature, the governor and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.
The landfill is on state property managed by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. It's made up of two clay pits.
Peck Rock Products' permit now allows the company to haul construction rubble obtained only from its own demolition operations to fill the pits just outside city limits on Clay Pit Road. The proposal would allow the company to contract with other companies for hauling services, allowing Peck to haul rubble from other construction crews to the landfill as well.
As it stands, Peck estimates the landfill would be full in 40 to 60 years, but with the new permit the landfill could fill in as little as 12 years.
"We are happy with what they're doing," said Kay Burton, project manager with the state trust lands. "They're doing a good, conscientious job. They have been a good lessee."
The only access road available to the pits winds through a neighborhood, a fact that concerns city officials.
Peck estimates the number of trucks passing through the neighborhood could jump from as few as two trucks a day to 20.
Burton said filling the pits would prevent accidents involving children playing near the pits. Once the pits are filled, Burton hopes to see a regional park in their place.
Peck representatives did not return calls for comment.
"I would be very supportive of what they're doing if there was another way to get it in there," said Saratoga Springs Mayor Tim Parker said. "It's a scary situation to me if we're going to have trucks going up and down every 20 minutes near an elementary school."
Since the pits fall outside city limits, city officials have no jurisdiction over the pits, although its disapproval could be factored into decisions made by the governor, Legislature and environmental officials next year.
E-MAIL: csheffield@desnews.com