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. . .0.)186\ Councils backs salt plant concept 6-1 By JOHN STROUD Post stalT writer GLENWOOD SPRINGS. City COWlcil Thursday night gave ils support. in concep! only, to the idea of locating a river desali. nation plant on cilY propeny in Soulh Canyon. Council members heard mostly support (or the idea (rom the doz.en or so citizens who spoke. including (ormer city council- men and one former member of the eil)"$ Planning and Zoning Commission who H.'C- onunended denial of a previous desalina- tion proposal three years ago. "I think lhis is a sensitive, good 19905 corporation lhal will survive into the nexl century. Don', short-circuit this process by nOI allowing them 10 proceed," Gregg Rip- py of Glenwood Springs said of Aqua. Chern. Inc. Plant 'nlC Milwaukee.based company has in- dicated il may pursue a lease agreement with the city and seek zoning approval from Garfield County 10 build a desalina- lion pI ani 10 take 200 lOns of sail a da)' OUI of !he Colorado River, in accordance wi!h federal salinity conLJollaws. However, Aqua-Chern has said it doesn't inlend 10 spend money on engineering for the project unless there's some sense of Continued from 11age I north end of Glcnwooo Springs. Bul opposition then mainly stemmed from two things, fonner Glenwood Mayor Dennis Prclti IOld council - local ion und pollu- tion from lhe power plant. Both of those problems have been eliminated wilh Aqua~ Chem's proposal, he said. Prelli and OtllCU said lhc bene- filS of :10 industrial venlllre such as a desallnalion plant are many, including adding 10 Ihe properly In base and creating jobs. The commenls led council 10 adopl a resolulion, on a 6-1 VOle, 10 support Ihe proposal in con- cept, Ihough the decision docs not ~ind the cilY 10 approve a lealle I'pr the proposed plant sile, : Even Ihough Ihe planl would be localed on city property near the landfill in South Canyon, Ihe :ire a is in the jurisdiction of the Garfield County commissioners, who would hold Ihe ultimate deci. sion on zoning for !he project. : Councilman Jon Tripp re- mained adamaJu in his opposilion r;o Ihe idea of desalinating the riv- er, ; "It bolhers me thai Ihose of us who are not proponents of this ~oncept are being put in a minori- ty pooition," Tripp said. "'.Vhen I spoke abollt it pork-barrel projet:t before, I meant Ix)rk." Tripp, at a council meeting Aug, 5 and llgain Thund41Y, said Ihe idea of Ihe federal governmenl pllying privllle developers S6.5 million... year 10 take sail oul of the river is a WII.!>le of tnK dollars lint! the kind of project Ihlllnced!> 10 be slopped al the local level. "This is Ihe kind of technical projL"Ctlh:u I believe doc~n't have ally bellefit for our cuulllry," he said. Olher'coullcil members llaid they'd like 10 IlIke it 10 the nexl slep IInd see whal Aqua-Chcm hall loolTer, LOCil1 lltlorney Steve Ilealtie prescmcd the resolution 011 behalf of AClua-Chcm III lhe meeling. He said lhe company is sensilive 10 concerns city residcllIs had Illsl lime lImulld. which is why Aqua. Chern chose to lesl Ihe walers first. "If Ihe community liS a whole is unreceptive, the board of dircc. tors in Milwaukee may choose to go no fUflhrr," Ueallie said, ""Iis is Dilly a concepl now and not .a I)roposal." COllccms of critics who spoke at the meeting included the lack of delllils at this slage and the po. tential cnvironmenllll impacts of lilking salt out of the river. support in Ihe communilY. Thursday's meeting produced me suongesl indication that me SUPPOfl ma)' be Ihere. Rippy, for inslance. chaired Ihe 1990 P&Z panel !hat unanimously recommended zoning denial for the former Glenwood Salt Co. 10 build a combined desalination and cogeneration power facililY al a site on lhe Please see 'Plant,' Page 5 GLENWOOD POST - AUGUST 20, 1993