By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Approximately 200 residents showed up at the scoping
meeting held in Nephi to inform the public about the change
in scope of the Environmental Impact Statement for the
Williams, Questar and Kern River Pipelines and Utility
Corridor.
Those wishing to make comments on any of the
proposals, independent of the other two or as a group, must
respond by May 20.
Responses may be sent by e-mail to OWK-EIS.org.
"Is this a done deal?" asked Doran Kay, Mona town
council member.
"The land has not been bought but the property has
been optioned. We are paying a small monthly fee," said John
Connoly, an engineer with Williams. "If we have to move
we'll move, that is a risk we took."
The crowd at the three-hour meeting was out-spoken and
all public comments made were in opposition to the Williams
proposal to construct a terminal facility for refined
petroleum products including diesel fuel, fuel oil, jet
fuel, and gasoline.
After the initial presentation made by Mark Mackiwiz,
assistant project manager, and Ralph Becker, principal of
Bear West Company who is assisting the Bureau of Land
Management with meeting coordination, the group was broken
into three sections so more information could be discussed
and comments taken.
Comments were listed on large sheets of paper by Bear
West Company staff and will be processed and recorded.
"The county does have zoning rights," said Robert
Steele, county commissioner. "Old US 91 will be completely
residential."
Steele said there were several sites in the county
that could be developed with little expense. "I support the
pipeline because it would be good for the economy but this
is a bad site it is not a good site."
There would be four or five jobs open because of the
loading facility, and gas should be less expensive for local
residents, but the storage facility should not be built on a
watershed, near a wetland, and in a zoned residential
corridor.
Steele said state and local trespass laws prevail
until a certificate is issued by the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission. At that point, eminent domain comes
into play and once the certificate is issued, or an
easement/survey agreement or court order is obtained the
company may go on private land.
"The Williams Storage facility will not have the right
of eminent domain but will be subject to county zoning
laws," said Steele.
"There would be 12 to 15 above ground storage tanks at
the site as well as an office and loading station," said
Connoly.
The storage facility would be located between Nephi
and Mona along old U.S. Highway 91 at the approximate area
where a large power line crosses the highway. Truckers would
be encouraged to use the North Nephi Interstate-15
Interchange.
The projects outlined by Questar Pipeline Company and
Kern River Gas Transmission Company were not openly opposed
by those attending the meeting. In fact, several of those
attending the public scoping meeting, made comments stating
they would favor the Questar and Kern River projects but
would reject the Williams proposal.
Many of those, like Suzanne Pew, raised concerns about
public safety and the possibility of environmental damage
resulting from the Williams project.
One safety issue she raised, which was echoed over and
over during the three-hour meeting, was the level of traffic
to and from the proposed loading facility, part of the
storage facility.
"The increase of traffic of the proposed storage
facility would impose a safety threat to residents in Mona
and along the county road," she said. "Bus stops, mail
delivery, garbage collection, local traffic, movement of
farm machinery and livestock, are threatened with dangerous
semi trucks loading and unloading fuel."
She said it had been projected that 100 tanker trucks
would load at the facility each day.
However, Connoly said there would, most likely, be
between 40 to 60 truck into the facility each day. The
100-a-day estimate was the worst case scenario.
"There is a high water table and even flowing wells in
the area of the proposed storage facility," said Pew.
"Burraston Ponds is right next to this proposed
facility," said Pew. "The ponds drain into Mona Reservoir
which is used for much agricultural watering and as water
storage for the Central Utah Water Project."
Nonetheless, an even more alarming issue might be that
young kids from Mona would get their fishing poles and ride
on bicycles to go fishing and then there would be kids and
trucks on the same two-lane highway.
Scouts come from all over to use the facilities and
many of them also use the opportunity to pass off a merit
badge for bicycling.
Pew said, the movement of water from Mt. Nebo through
the area (the proposed storage facility site), feeds all of
the springs and wells, both agricultural and culinary, in
this region.
"All of the property north of Nephi is a watershed,"
said Dale Worwood.
Pew asked how operators of a petroleum products
storage facility in the critical aquifer could guarantee
that contamination would not occur, how possible natural
disasters such as earthquake, tornado, and fire could be
prevented from huge releases into the environment, and the
dangers of mixing ingredients or additives to the water
supply.
"Will the pipeline itself cross wetlands that drain
into Mona Reservoir?" she asked.
Heber Memmott, a retired trucker, said he knew that
truckers would choose the shortest route to the freeway
which may mean that all the trucks bound from the storage
facility would travel through Mona's Main Street to the Mona
Interstate-15 Freeway Exchange.
Jill Jackson said the North-Nephi exit was not the
best-designed freeway interchange. "We live by that exit and
it is not the best off-ramp in the system. There is not a
lot of room." The wide turning radius of the tractor-trailer
units would make driving hazardous.
Marie Coray agreed. She said the ramps were narrow and
had a steep drop off at the side.
Memmott suggested the storage facility be located
south of Nephi in the dry-land farming area near the county
jail, a commercial gravel pit, the South Nephi freeway
interchange and several trucker's service business located
there.
"I know there is farm ground which could be purchased
in that location," he said. In addition, he pointed out,
there is an established utility corridor between Nephi and
Levan, the facility would not affect Levan by being too
near, and the populated area of Nephi could be avoided when
building the pipeline because the old Sheep Lane
right-of-way could be followed.
His brother, Maurice Memmott, said he and his wife had
lived near a paper mill in the south for one year. "It cost
me two windshields and numerous run-offs and my wife refused
to drive. There is lots of ground in Dog Valley, west of
Nephi, there are no homes there, it is mostly grazing land,
and there is already a gas-transmission pipeline out
there."
"I am opposed to the Salt Creek Canyon route for
pipeline construction," said James Ockey, a property owner
in the canyon. "It is one of the few nice pristine areas
still left."
He said there were already four power lines and two
water lines in the canyon. In addition, major streams of
water could become dangerous during flood years. Pipelines,
as past experience indicated, were washed out and were
broken.
Ockey said a pipeline surveyor told him, "Get used to
this, the pipeline is coming."
Blaine Malquist suggested Williams might save a lot of
miles of pipeline installation by using Spanish Fork Canyon
rather than Salt Creek Canyon and would be closer to major
use markets.
Kristi McKay said she thought it would be even better
if the fuel was trucked to the Juab County area. "The
pipeline could be stopped in the Price area and the
petroleum products trucked to the market."
"Someone should give us better information so we could
make an intelligent decision," said George Phillips. He said
he was disappointed by the meeting and the information
presented because not enough facts were given.
He worked for Chevron for a number of years and wanted
to know how deep the line would be buried. An Idaho farmer
dug a pipeline up because there was no depth of line, he
said. Within a short time, five acres had been covered. It
doesn't take long when a pipeline carries 30,000 barrels a
day.
A few years ago, a tanker truck rolled over on a
highway near Mona. It was loaded with hazardous materials
and people were evacuated from the community. Most ended up
at the high school where a Red Cross set up a temporary
shelter.
The area is also known for its annual wildfires which
are started because there is a lightening belt near the
proposed Williams site.
"Who will pay for the emergency equipment which will
be needed? Who will pay for the impact on our schools and
our roads?" asked Jackson.
"Obviously, most of us here are opposed to the storage
facility," said Eric Barzeele. "What is the next step?"
The next step is a few days response time, followed by
preparation of the draft EIS and a 30 day comment
period.
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