In this Issue:
- School kids to Breathe Easier
- Oakley's Wastewater Technology
- Solid & Hazardous Waste Board
- Drinking Water Database Unveiled
- Calendar of Events
Newsletter Links:
Sponsored by the
Utah Department of
Environmental Quality
In this Issue:
Newsletter Links:
Sponsored by the
Utah Department of
Environmental Quality
With Utah’s population projected to be 2.8 million in 2010 – a 9 percent increase – the Utah Solid and Hazardous Waste Control Board faces two distinct challenges: managing the increasing volume of solid and hazardous waste and overseeing cleanups that turn blighted properties into redevelopments.
The Solid and Hazardous Waste Control Board has dual oversight within the Department of Environmental Quality. It not only oversees federal and state environmental laws relating to solid and hazardous wastes managed by the Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste but also the underground storage tank program and Brownfields reclamation projects managed by the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation.
“It’s unique among the other boards within DEQ because it does cross two divisions,” said Board Chair Craig Anderson, an environmental attorney. “By statutory authority, the Board is responsible for implementing laws governing underground storage tanks, commercial hazardous and solid waste facilities, and the incineration of chemical weapons at the U.S. Army’s Deseret Chemical Depot in Tooele County.”
“The Board always is deliberative to make sure that these requests are done so that it is protective of public health and the environment,” said Dennis Downs, director of the Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste.
Brad Johnson, director of the Division of Environmental Response and Remediation, agreed. “The Board has provided valuable direction that has contributed to successes in cleaning up contaminants from underground storage tanks leaking petroleum.”
There are a variety of issues that keep Board members on their toes, noted Bill Doucette, a Board member since 1998 who works at the Utah State University’s Water Research Lab. “We consider issues ranging from used oil and tire recycling to nerve agent disposal. These issues are important not only for the state of Utah but the region and nation as well.”
The Board also considers amendment requests to commercial licenses like EnergySolutions’ mixed waste facility. It approves all new solid and hazardous waste regulations and has oversight of all municipal landfills and non-hazardous waste facilities in the state.
Two primary challenges lie ahead, Board members say.
“I foresee an increased demand on how to deal with hazardous waste,” said Carlton Christensen, a Salt Lake City Councilmember who has served on the Solid and Hazardous Waste Control Board since 2003. “I don’t see new hazardous facilities opening up every day but there will be increased demands on current providers to take increased volumes of waste.”
Growth will also drive the demand for cleaning up contaminated land.
Christensen hopes more communities will look at opportunities to turn blighted property into economic reuse, or Brownfields, which is property that once was polluted but is now redeveloped. The Board has assisted various Utah communities in this effort.
Brownfields helped the Salt Lake City Council in 1998 reclaim portions of an old rail yard in downtown and turn it into a crown jewel commercial development known as “Gateway.”
“It can be a win-win,” Christensen said. “But it’s going to take some education of local officials to see the possibilities. It is not a simple process but a doable one and I’m hopeful we can look at some ways to work with the Legislature and staff to induce Brownfields reclamation.”