Bluff to consider wastewater system tonight

The future of wastewater management in Bluff is on the agenda at a public meeting at 7 p.m. this evening (May 14) at the Bluff Community Center.

The meeting is expected to culminate in a recommendation from the Bluff Service Area to proceed on a project that has been under consideration, in one form or another, for several years.

For the past year, the Bluff Service Area and the State of Utah have been working with a consulting firm to “define a wastewater collection… and disposal system that will provide the residents of Bluff with a cost effective system....”

The study considered a wide range of possible wastewater treatment programs. It is expected that the recommendation will be for a “small pipe” system the relies initially on on-site septic systems, collection of excess to a treatment facility, and a drip dispersal field.

The cost of the plan may be nearly $4.8 million in capital costs and $685,000 in operations and maintenance costs. The service area is considering a proposal to charge $26 per home per month for the service.

It is expected that Bluff would approach the Community Impact Board (CIB) to seek funding for the project.

This is at least the third time that Bluff has considered a community wastewater treatment project. In the previous instances, controversy and costs have hindered the process.

The current process has not been without controversy, with the Bluff Service Area, Bluff Water Works Special Service District, San Juan County Commissioners, and groups of Bluff residents on all sides of a complicated and controversial project.

The model is based upon projections that Bluff will grow approximately one percent per year in population and one percent per year in commercial growth.

The report states that Bluff experiences a higher than “normal” failure rate for on-site treatment systems.