Riverton OKs site plan for sewage water treatment

It took four years, one lawsuit and a lot of compromise, but the South Valley Sewer District finally has a city-approved site plan in Riverton — and no more angry neighbors.

That's a drastic change from less than a year ago, when distraught residents gathered en masse to voice their objection to the district's plans to build a sewage water treatment plant near the Jordan River. Then, residents complained that the district would be smelly and hurt their property value, but with a unanimous vote on Tuesday in favor of the plant's site plan, the city and its outspoken residents have come to accept the project.

"It's a relief to see what a wonderful project this is going to be now, because when (the sewer district) came into the city, this was not a good project," said Riverton Mayor Bill Applegarth. "Now it's a great project. ... It has gone from something that I personally was very upset about and very negative about and fought very hard not to have it come, to a project that I feel will be a great benefit to the area in every sense of the word."

The district has made a number of changes to its project since the first time a plan was presented to the city. Often, the district worked with a committee of residents to gain approval before approaching the Planning Commission or City Council. It was through that process that the district decided to use a membrane treatment system that is more expensive but less intrusive than other options.

Golden Holt, a member of the resident committee, says he's happy with the changes the district made.

"The original proposal was about $60 million, with low-end technology and lots of traffic problems," Holt said. "With the district stepping up to do a higher-end plant, it rivals anything technologywise in the country. ... I probably live closer to the plant than anyone on (the residents' committee), and ... I would probably rather have what they're going to do than any other thing I can think that would go down there."

The district also purchased 125 acres around the 30-acre site that will have a conservation easement and serve as a buffer zone with potential wetlands. Add to the buffer an inviting red barn-esque architectural design for the plant facilities, and the district finally found a happy median with the city.

"When we started working with Riverton a few years ago, the citizens' group and the district were at opposite ends of each other," South Valley Sewer District manager Craig White said. "Over the years, we've come to have a mutual respect that we've developed for them as well as they have developed for us. We want to develop a good product and be friendly to the neighbors, and we realize they have to live with the result."