SALT LAKE CITY — Some residents in the Poplar Grove neighborhood of Salt Lake City are concerned that a sewage vapor cleaning system is going in on their street.
It’s called a BioTower, and it’s slated to go into an empty lot at approximately 1000 W. Pierpont Avenue.
Some folks who live in the neighborhood say they’re upset because it’ll be way too close to nearby homes, and they also feel they weren’t given proper notice. But Salt Lake City officials say that’s simply not the case and that it’s the best place for it.
Alex Ward is trying to fight the power behind the BioTower that’s going in on his street.
“We’re fighting for our neighborhood. These are our assets!” he said.
Rachel Laxner is also opposed to the BioTower.
“Why put this one in a residential area? Why is this in our front yard? Can they not find any other location?” she said.
Salt Lake City officials say unfortunately, the answer is no.
“We chose the location because that’s the best place to treat the air before it goes throughout the whole west side," said Jason Brown, the deputy director for Salt Lake Public Utilities.
Brown says it’s near the confluence of three major sewer trunklines in the area, and when the sewer air backs up, folks in the area often complain of a smell like rotten eggs. Those are gases coming up from vented sewer lids. Brown says the BioTower basically cleans those harmful gases.
“Scrubs the air out of the sewer system of the hydrogen sulfide and other pollutants that get into the gases that come off of the sewer system," he explained.
It’s a biological process that uses crushed seashells for bacteria to grow on. Brown says the bacteria then eats the hydrogen sulfide.
“So what actually gets emitted out of the stack is nothing more than carbon dioxide and water vapor," Brown said. "There might be some odor there, but not nearly... Like 95 to 99 percent of the odor is removed through this process.”
The plan was submitted to the Poplar Grove Community Council in April, and Brown says that’s when notices were sent out to neighbors.
“We’re actually putting in a vacuum that’s going to pull air in through the manholes and into the BioTowers, so the odors should be reduced significantly," he said.
When it’s completed, the BioTower will be fenced in and the area landscaped.
But some neighbors like Laxner remain skeptical.
“We need more answers. We would like our voices heard," she said.
Prep work on the BioTower lot is scheduled to begin on Jan. 12. The actual construction is slated for June or July.
But there will be one more opportunity for neighbors to hear specifics about the project and voice their concerns. That’s happening next Monday, Jan. 5, at 4 p.m., at the site on Pierpont Avenue.
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