Park City soils management facility spurs debate

The proposed soil repository location is known as the Gordo site at the intersection of Richardson Flat Road and SR 248. Photo: engageparkcity.org

PARK CITY, Utah. — The Park City Soils Repository near Quinn’s Junction has been a topic of much local debate.

Much of the soil in and around Park City has been impacted from our silver mining history. The proposed Gordo Bevill Waste Soil Repository would only be permitted to store material classified as Bevill Waste, Soils classified as toxic or hazardous would not be permitted. Bevill waste is defined as waste from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of ores and minerals such as silver.

Key factors for selecting the location of  this site are:

• The zoning allows for municipal use
• The property is owned by the City and unencumbered with deed restrictions or conservation easements
• The location is mostly shielded from view from SR-248 due to natural topography
• The site is not located near residential and commercial uses
• The property does not include any environmentally sensitive habitat, watershed, or other ecological features
• Use of the property would result in significant savings, estimated at +/- $14million at the time (since revised up to closer to $17 million).

However not all residents are in support. A petition circulating on Change.org with 1,335 digital signatures is advocating to “STOP the Park City Landfill.”

The petition states, We can’t let the Utah Division of Waste Management & Radiation Control approve a dangerous landfill to be filled with contaminated soils in Park City’s own backyard and goes on to say that it is better to continue sending contaminated soils excavated from within Park City limits to landfills out of the city far from people and sensitive environmental areas.

Park City Mayor Andy Beerman is calling for everyone to “huddle up together” and have a healthy discussion on the topic of soil management. Beerman states that Park City has naturally occurring heavy metals. It’s why we got our start as a silver mining town. With responsible handling and oversight, the soils are manageable. This is not uranium, or nuclear waste. Most of Park City’s soils can be safely contained with proper environmental precautions.

The project and Q&A style discussion is hosted on the Engage Park City Website – https://engageparkcity.org/park-city-soils-repository-overview

Additional links and resources:

• Capital Project summary
• The Town’s Park City Soils Repository Overview
• All public documents and notices for Park City Soil Management Facility Class I Landfill Permit are hosted here