Texans had been 'reining in' the FLDS via state laws

In all, about $40,000 worth of fines were levied against the ranch — mostly in three major administrative orders, Anderson said. Several infringements over operating an industry without permits were discovered from studying the aerial photographs of the ranch posted on the Internet. Responding to all the complaints and enforcing demands was very time-consuming, he said.

Over time, changes were slower in coming and the ranch was on the verge of earning a record of "poor compliance," which would have impeded its owners' ability to gain new permits.

But Anderson never attempted to shut down the ranch, only the offending activities. He explained to FLDS leaders their responsibility in preserving clean air and water and invited them to apply for permits.

"My goal was compliance. We get a lot of people moving in from out of state and our goal and mission is to verify compliance," he said.

One problem with the disposal of treated waste water was resolved by persuading FLDS leaders to use it for irrigation of their own property instead of dumping it into a stream bed leading to fresh water springs, said Chuck Brown, staff hydrologist for the Upper Colorado River Authority. The authority even offered to help, he said.

Irrigation is nothing new for the area, said Dan Gandy of Touchdown Realty, the agent who handled the purchase of the ranch. For decades, the only way to get produce in that part of the country was to grow it. Each of the properties Gandy showed to David Allred, president of YFZ Land, had plots for cultivation and means to water them.

This was no hint at Allred's intentions for the ranch land, Gandy said, because Allred was a convincing shopper who was knowledgeable in the ins and outs of a hunting property. Ironically, another characteristic of the ranch that made it a good hunting tract was its strong fencing.

Another major sanitation problem was solved when the YFZ contracted with the city of Eldorado to take sewage and solid waste from the ranch, said Mankin.

Ranch leaders eventually met with Anderson and pledged to be "good stewards." That was more than a year ago and his office hasn't received any complaints since, he said.

Hilderbran expressed a little chagrin that the city decided to make money off the FLDS by processing the ranch's waste. Miller said he thought it was a little unusual that Hilderbran got involved in the way he did. A professional politician, Hilderbran usually comes down on the side of privacy rights both in family and property situations. That said, Miller explained, Hilderbran is also someone one might describe as a stereotypical Texan who occasionally likes to play a wild card and do his own thing.

He "doesn't go off half cocked," though, and undoubtedly has informed reasons for taking his position, Miller said.

Both Hilderbran and Darby said they are planning to bring new bills targeting the FLDS residents again in the next legislative session, which begins in January. Darby said he is expecting other legislators will do the same now that the compound is under public scrutiny.

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E-mail: akirk@desnews.com