Update: A proposed 13-acre mud landfill in Hall County got an initial OK Monday, April 3.

The commission agreed with staff conditions, including that the site accept “only waste consisting of soil and water.”

Original story: Where does excavated mud go to dry?

A Hall County business that deals in such wet earth is hoping government officials will allow it to build a nearly 13-acre landfill for just that purpose.

Southern Utility Group is seeking a conditional use permit to build the landfill at 1563 Calvary Church Road, south of Candler Road/Ga. 60 and east of Interstate 985.

Southern Utility wants to perform a process that uses pressurized water and an industrial-strength vacuum to simultaneously excavate soil.

“As the pressurized water breaks up the soil, the soil and (mud) is conveyed by a vacuum to a debris tank,” according to Hall County planning documents.

It’s a process most frequently used to uncover buried utilities.

And so, Southern Utility needs “a place to store and dry out the slurry,” documents state.

The process will involve three ponds, with the mud drying out to become fill dirt that will be used where the water/vacuum process, known as hydro-extrusion, is taking place.

The mud “has to be placed somewhere safely,” Southern Utility says in a letter to the county.

The company says it does installation work for local public utility providers and uses hydro-extrusion “in order to locate other utilities in right-of-way areas.”

The proposal is set to go before the Hall County Planning Commission on Monday, April 3.

Staff officials are recommending approval with conditions, including that the site accept “only waste consisting of soil and water.”

Also, the company must give the county paperwork from the state Environmental Protection Division regarding pond design and use, planning documents state.

The planning board will issue a formal recommendation, which will be forwarded to the Hall County Board of Commissioners for final action at a public hearing on April 13.