RIVERTON — South Valley Sewer District officials are attempting to address concerns of residents who live near the proposed site of a new sewage treatment plant, but they aren't relying on a compromise to get the plant built.
Reaching an agreement with residents who have tried to block the facility from becoming their neighbor near the Jordan River is just one of the options the sewer district is pursuing to move the project forward.
The sewer district has taken its quest to obtain a conditional-use permit to the state Court of Appeals, and it's also keeping a close eye on a bill set to be introduced by Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, during the legislative session that begins Monday.
"I think all three are viable options," said Craig White, the sewer district's general manager.
The potential for an agreement between the sewer district and residents got a boost Tuesday when the two sides met with Riverton Mayor Bill Applegarth and members of the City Council at City Hall. Both sides expressed a desire to reach some kind of compromise before the sewer district's board meets to consider a moratorium on new sewer connections for its service area — roughly the southern third of Salt Lake County.
A public hearing on the moratorium is set for 6:30 p.m., Jan. 24 at Draper City Hall with a vote by the board likely to follow. Herriman Mayor Lynn Crane, who sits on the sewer district board, said he hopes a resolution to the sewer plant issue will prevent such action from being taken.
Representatives and lawyers on both sides plan to work toward a resolution over the next two weeks that would bring to Riverton a sewage treatment plant that meets the approval of the residents and prevents the sewer district from having to reapply for a conditional-use permit.
"My intent is to see if we can make progress and see if we can end this issue," Crane said.
The sewer district has filed an appeal with the state Court of Appeals in hopes of reversing court rulings that supported the Riverton Board of Adjustments' decision in November 2005 to revoke a conditional-use permit for the plant.
Previous discussions between residents and sewer district officials centered around a compromise being reached and the district agreeing to apply for a new conditional-use permit. But reapplying would be a risky move for the sewer district, White said, because it essentially would be starting over and putting itself at risk for another legal fight.
"If we start the conditional-use permit process over again, just because we have come to a resolution with one group doesn't mean there's not another group out there ready to file an appeal," he said.
The group of residents that began the fight against the treatment facility about two years ago has fractured into two groups: prospective neighbors of the proposed plant and the water-resource protection and preservation group Great Salt Lake Keeper, headed by Jeff Salt.
Meetings organized by Applegarth to bring the sewer district and residents together mostly have involved only the neighbors. In a recent interview, Salt said his group and that of the neighbors are no longer on the same page and he will continue to fight the plant being built near the Jordan River.
"That's our fear," White said. "We may have set aside the concerns of Riverton residents, but it doesn't mean that somebody like Jeff Salt can't file an appeal."
Another issue is cost. Residents want the district to scrap plans for the traditional, staged-aeration sewage treatment plant and build a facility using membrane technology, which would increase its $89 million price tag to $137 million.
The facility is odor-free, and the end product immediately could be used in a secondary water system, White said. It also could be built on 12 to 13 acres instead of the 20 acres that the proposed plant would need at buildout. Mayor Kent Money, South Jordan's representative on the sewer district board, said the majority of the board favors a facility using membrane technology.
"I feel we can justify the additional cost," Money said. "To me, it's a win-win situation."
Another board member, Bluffdale City Councilman Craig Briggs, said he's undecided.
"As a board, we are deeply concerned that the right thing be done," Briggs said. "I'm not convinced yet what that is."
There is a chance the plant won't need a conditional-use permit. Urquhart's bill seeks to make treatment facilities — both water and wastewater — permitted uses. If passed, the law would eliminate the district's need for a conditional-use permit.
South Valley Sewer District officials have said the new plant is needed to keep up with growth in south Salt Lake County. The district contracts with the South Valley Water Reclamation Facility in West Jordan, but has exceeded its dumping limits.
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