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Resident raises groundwater and safety concerns about proposed Sundowner West fireworks site
Summary
A Saline County resident during public comment raised concerns about a fireworks application for a site referred to as Sundowner West, alleging hazardous materials, groundwater contamination and proximity to a state highway; the resident urged the county to readdress site selection.
During the public-comment portion of the June 3 Saline County commissioners meeting, a resident identified as Norm urged the board to reexamine a fireworks application for a site he described as Sundowner West, citing groundwater contamination, hazardous materials and proximity to a state highway.
Norm said he visited the planning and zoning office, spoke with the planning director and pointed out errors in the application’s legal description. He told commissioners the application’s wording did not match the legal description and said one field (described in the comment as ‘‘01:41 35’’) contained hazardous materials that could enter groundwater and ‘‘it will burn you.’’ He also said potassium nitrate, an ingredient in some fireworks, posed risks to humans and animals and urged the county to require a greater setback from the state highway and to consider alternate locations.
Norm tied the issue to local water-quality concerns, repeatedly urging commissioners to consider the long-term effect on drinking water and saying EMS had advised against using well water in Sundowner West. He asked whether the fireworks site would have a liner comparable to the landfill and urged the county to find another location for the application.
Why it matters: the comments raise public-health and safety concerns about a planned fireworks site and allege potential errors in the planning application and its legal description; commissioners did not take action on the application at the June 3 meeting and referred planning questions to staff review.
Ending: Commissioners did not act on the application during the meeting; staff and the planning commission remain the appropriate bodies to investigate application details and any alleged errors in the legal description.
