By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
As far as Juab County Commissioners are concerned, the
project to build a gas transmission station north of Nephi
is a dead issue.
"I am positive, after meeting with officials representing
Williams, that the proposed transmission station north of
Nephi is dead," said Robert Steele, commissioner.
The response from the commission came as they were
questioned by Kathi Dinkel, Dana Young, and Tanya Esplin who
would have been close neighbors of the proposed
facility.
The proposed facility would consist of 12 to 15 above
ground storage tanks as well as an office and loading
station. Approximately 40 trucks would visit the site each
day.
Steele said commissioners had met with the current
project manager who assured the commission that he did not
approve the location of the site and didn't think it was a
wise choice.
"He said he couldn't believe that site was considered in
the first place," said Wm. Boyd Howarth, commission chair.
It is located too close to power lines and is in the middle
of a water table.
Howarth said the project manager had discussed other
options with the commission and had listened to suggestions
the commission made as to location.
One suggestion was that the storage facility be moved to
a location south of Nephi near the county jail, a commercial
gravel pit, the South Nephi freeway interchange and several
trucker's service businesses.
"The corridor through Salt Creek Canyon could be used and
the pipeline could be designed to travel to the new
location," said Howarth.
More than 200 residents showed up at a scoping meeting
held in Nephi a few months ago to inform the public about
the change in scope of the Environmental Impact Statement
for the Williams project.
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 between Mona and Nephi along old U.S. 91
at the approximate area where a large power line crosses the
highway.
Since that time, residents have continued to bring
concerns about public safety and the possibility of
environmental damage resulting from the Williams project to
the attention of the county commission.
One safety issue which was echoed over and over was the
level of traffic to and from the proposed storage facility
on the quiet country road used by school buses, mail
delivery trucks, garbage collection trucks, local traffic,
and for the movement of farm machinery and livestock.
In addition, the originally proposed site is the location
of a high water table and flowing wells. Burraston Ponds is
right next to the proposed facility. The ponds drain into
Mona Reservoir which is used for agricultural watering and
as water storage for the Central Utah Water Project.
"We discussed other options with them and told them we
did not like the location between Nephi and Mona," said
Howarth.
Steele said 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.
"They said it was costly for them to move the line away
from the corridor," said Steele. The original site, though
unsatisfactory to the project manager, local residents and
commissioners, was in the same direction the pipeline would
follow.
Commissioners were told it would cost several million
dollars more to move the pipeline from the original
drawing.
"We can guarantee that the transmission station will not
be built between Nephi and Mona," said Howarth.
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