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City staff says proposed salvage-yard rules meet DEQ standards; council debates residence buffer
Summary
City staff reported that Idaho Department of Environmental Quality guidance requires a 100-foot separation from free‑flowing waterways for salvage yards. Councilors discussed widening the ordinance’s residential buffer to match a river buffer (about 750 feet) and asked staff to update the draft ahead of Thursday’s public meeting.
City staff told the Idaho Falls City Council at its work session that the city’s draft ordinance to allow salvage yards in certain industrial zones meets Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) guidance, but council members asked staff to increase residential buffers before final consideration.
Mister Sander, a Community Development Services staff member, told the council he had spoken with DEQ and that DEQ “require[s] a 100 foot separation from all waterways,” and that the agency’s focus is primarily on free‑flowing waters such as the Snake River. He said one northern Idaho jurisdiction the DEQ reviewed had a 300‑foot separation requirement but that 100 feet is the DEQ minimum. Sander said the city’s proposed code establishes a 450‑foot separation from the river…
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