GSL's new plans topic of meetings
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Wednesday, November 7, 2007
By Jordan Muhlestein
Standard-Examiner staff
Minerals operation to be expanded
OGDEN -- The US Army Corps of Engineers plans today to hold the first of three meetings to allow the public to learn about a proposed expansion of the Great Salt Lake Minerals operation in western Weber County.
The expansion would add about 33,000 acres to the facility, allowing for three new solar evaporative ponds used in the production of sulfate of potash, a potassium fertilizer used on crops such as fruit, vegetables and tree nuts.
The corps is sponsoring the meetings as part of the preparation of a draft environmental impact statement on the expansion, according to the corps' notice of intent for the statement.
The first meeting is scheduled for 5-9 p.m. today at South Davis Jr. High School, 298 W. 2600 South, Bountiful. The second meeting is set for 5-9 p.m. Thursday at the Ogden Nature Center, 966 W. 12th Street, Ogden. A third meeting will be Nov. 14 in Salt Lake City.
Each meeting will allow people to learn about and make comments on the proposed expansion.
The environmental impact statement will address impacts to wildlife, water quality, water levels, transportation and cultural resources in the area of the proposed expansion, says the notice of intent.
The draft environmental impact statement is scheduled for release in October 2008.
Peggy Landon, director of corporate communications for Great Salt Lake Minerals, said the company has applied to the state for a lease on the land, but would be unable to do any developing until the impact study is finished.
The proposed evaporation ponds include an 8,000-acre pond in the Bear River Bay on the eastern side of the lake, an 18,000-acre pond south of Dolphin Island on the west side, and a 7,000-acre pond around Clyman Bay on the western shore.
Landon said the expansion would add another 100,000 tons annually to the company's current production of 450,000 tons of sulfate of potash.
She said the company is committed to expanding responsibly and to continuing to operate in an environmentally responsible manner.
"We really share the common goal that everyone has of keeping the Great Salt Lake clean," Landon said.
Some environmental groups, including the Friends of the Great Salt Lake and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, have protested the expansion proposal.
In a letter to Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Mike Styler, Marshall P. Jones, chair of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Hemispheric Council, said the GSL expansion would adversely affect biodiversity in the area, particularly with several species of birds, including Snow Plover, two species of phalaropes and american avocets.
Landon said the environmental impact study will evaluate any impacts that the proposed project would have, and the company is dedicated to working with all concerned parties about the impacts.
Great Salt Lake Minerals is a subsidiary of Kansas-based Compass Minerals International Inc.
Anyone with questions about the expansion and the draft environmental impact statement can call the Corps project manager, Jason Gipson, 295-8380 ext. 14, or e-mail jason.a.gipson@usace.army.mil. Please mention the project identification number 200100121 in the e-mail.
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