Region 8
Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal Nations
Superfund Program
National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History
Proposed Date
1/18/1994
Murray Smelter
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Site Type: Proposed NPL City: Murray City County: Salt Lake Street Address: 5300 South Main Street Zip Code: 84107 EPA ID#: UTD980951420 Site ID#: 0800697 Site Aliases: Murray Smelter Congressional District(s): 02 |
Site Description
The Murray Smelter Superfund Site (the Site) is the former location of a large lead smelter in Murray City. The smelter operated for about 77 years, from 1872 until 1949. ASARCO operated it from 1902 to 1949. The lead smelting and arsenic refining operations affected the soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment at the 142-acre Site and the surrounding area.
Site Risk
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| Groundwater, surface water, soils sediment, debris | Lead, arsenic | Smelter |
Cleanup Progress
EPA proposed including the Site on the National Priorities List (the "NPL") in January 1994. In 1995, EPA began working with Asarco and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (the "UDEQ") to investigate it under the terms of an Administrative Order on Consent. EPA Region 8 and Murray City entered into a unique agreement which established a formal role for the city in identifying potential future land uses at the Site; participating in the development of cleanup options; and implementing institutional controls required by EPA's cleanup decision. The Site listing on the NPL was never finalized because of these agreements and because cleanup was already underway.
In April 1998, EPA Region 8 issued the Record of Decision for the site. Cleanup included:
- Excavation and off-site disposal of soils containing the highest levels of arsenic,
- Excavation and on-site consolidation of 90,000 cubic yards of soil containing lower levels of arsenic that were the source of groundwater contamination,
- Reducing levels of arsenic in groundwater and surface water gradually by natural attenuation,
- Installing monitoring wells to track the progress of the natural attenuation,
- Demolition of two smoke stacks on the Site, and
- Removal and replacement of lead contaminated soils in off-site residential properties.
Today, construction on the cleanup project is complete and consistent with EPA's land revitalization goals. Once an underutilized industrial property, this Site has been transformed into a property with important commercial and retail uses.
- A portion of this Site now contains a Utah Transit Authority light rail station with a 300 space parking lot.
- Intermountain Health Care Health Services purchased the majority of the Site with plans to construct an innovative, world-class $362.5 million hospital campus. Construction began in 2003 and was completed in 2007.
- Another section of the Site is being redeveloped for retail use. A Costco store has been constructed and is open for business.
The economic impact of revitalization is expected to boost property values throughout the community and lead to a wave of new, complementary office and commercial development.
In 2003, EPA Region 8 completed the first Five-Year Review that indicated that the remedy was protective of human health and the environment.
In 2009, the second Five-Year Review was completed.
Community Involvement
During the evaluation of cleanup options, a Working Group that included community members, the UDEQ, Asarco, property and business owners, Murray City, and EPA Region 8 considered redevelopment plans and discussed alternative cleanup strategies that would facilitate revitalization as well as protection of public health and the environment. For example, the on-site repository system required for Site cleanup was designed to form the base of a new north-south roadway corridor and a new light rail facility parking lot, two Site features that were keys to Site redevelopment.
The Working Group effort was assisted by Murray City who received a Brownfields assessment grant from EPA Region 8 in January 1997 and used the funds to contract with a real estate consultant to provide advice about the land value implications of various remedial strategies. EPA Region 8 provided the facilitation services for the group. The Working Group participants made key commitments to the success of both cleanup and reuse of the property. Knowledge of revitalization opportunities helped inform EPA Region 8 in the remedy selection process.
Site Documents
Five-Year Review Report - March 18, 2009 (351 K, PDF, 54 pp)
Attachments 1 & 2: Interview Forms and Documents Reviewed (2.5 M PDF, 11 pp)
Contacts
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