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By Marie Griffin
Ann Zimmerman, the project's public involvement coordinator, said a report on research findings should be compiled and ready for public scrutiny soon. Workers have narrowed down the in-county options to three sites: north of Clarkston, between Clarkston and Newton, and Cache Junction. Out-of-county sites in Box Elder and Carbon counties are other considerations. Committees comprising residents, engineers, professors and specialists have been on the job, researching to find the pros and cons of each site, many of them since 1999. Each group is now doing its final analyses. Representatives of some groups were unavailable for comment. HDR, an engineering firm, is estimating costs and creating conceptual layouts of the potential landfill. Engineer Terry Warner said, "We mapped out the entire county based on certain constraints," then conducted field studies on such factors as soil condition." The county had to take into account a list of 20 state or federal regulations, found on the Logan City Environmental Division Web site, in finalizing the site options. For example, the landfill cannot be located in a drinking water source protection area, or within one-fourth mile of historic sites or existing dwellings, like schools, churches and residences. Many residents of the sites in question have their own regulations. They don't want the landfill anywhere near their towns. So, Utah State University professor Doug Jackson-Smith and his colleagues surveyed the public to find out their preferences and how to best mitigate possible negative impacts. Financial compensation, maybe in the form of property taxes, is an option, he noted. "It's much better to include everyone in the conversation," he said. The professor helped survey 300 residents living on the optional landfill sites, 300 residents of Logan and 300 residents countywide. The survey had a two-thirds response rate, "which is quite good for this kind of work," Jackson-Smith said. The results should reflect residents^Ò concerns and ideas on what should be the most important considerations in choosing a site. "We're confident that it does," he said. Analysis of the survey findings is still in the works, but Jackson-Smith said he has noticed there is a lot more agreement among residents about what's important than people may think. Most say environmental protection should be a top priority. And while not everyone living near the site options contests having a landfill, most do. "I think in any community that would be true," he said. Everyone involved agrees the public's concerns are important and should be taken into account. But, Warner said environmental protection doesn't need to be too much of a worry for them. "The modern regulations really are designed to protect the environment," he said. The county cannot operate a landfill without a state permit. Then, Utah regulations require officials to place a liner beneath the landfill and monitor the groundwater, among other things. Not only is Cache County taking an environmental approach to creating a new landfill, but an aesthetic one, as well. It put USU graduate student Abraham Medina and his adviser, John Ellsworth, on the job of assessing the landfill's visual impact. Ellsworth said they used geographic information systems and photo realistic visual simulation to find out the radius where each potential landfill will be visible and what it will look like at different points in its life. If the top of the landfill is a horizontal line, will it clash with the slope of the mountain? Ellsworth said the plan was to find the site that will draw the least attention and have the smallest impact on the scenery. The landscape project was Medina's master's thesis, which he defended in April. The county is taking pains to research every detail of the subject, because "once you have a landfill, it's yours for a long time," Zimmerman said. Researchers are getting a head start on the siting project, since the valley's current 85-acre landfill, located at 1400 W. 100 North in Logan, won't reach capacity for about two more decades, she said. This is partly a result of recycling and composting programs, which have reduced garbage entering the landfill by almost 30 percent, Zimmerman said. "The city's been doing such a good job at diversion," she said. Bob Bayn, a North Logan member of the Citizens Advisory Committee, explained that his committee, composed of residents from around the county, has spent the past months learning about landfills and regulations and is waiting to see the information that has been gathered. "We'll finally get to the point where we can do some recommending," he said. The committee of residents will make a recommendation to the county's Solid Waste Advisory Board. The Cache County Council is charged with making the final decision on where the future landfill will be located. "They're not obliged to accept our recommendation," Bayn said, adding that his committee's opinion likely will not be unanimous. People who have questions or comments concerning the landfill siting may e-mail Zimmerman at zimfolks@sprynet.com or check the online study. NW |
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