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National Information |
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Superfund Program
Tooele Army Depot (North Area)
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Site Type: Final NPL City: Tooele County: Tooele Street Address: 3 miles south of Tooele on Hwy 36 Zip Code: 84074 EPA ID#: UT3213820894 Site ID#: 0800755 Site Aliases: None Congressional District(s): 01 |
Site Description
Tooele Army Depot has been an active Army base since the early 1940s. The 23,732-acre Depot is located in northeastern Tooele County, UT, about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Environmental contamination occurred during the Depot's 50-plus years of storing ammunition and repairing equipment. The Depot was placed on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1990.
The U.S. Army, Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) and the EPA are cooperatively investigating and cleaning up contamination at the site.
In March 1993, part of the Depot (1,663 acres) was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list. As a BRAC site, 41 acres were transferred by the US Army for private use in 1996. The remaining 1,622 acres of the BRAC parcel were transferred to the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Tooele in January of 1999. The property was subsequently sold by Tooele City to a commercial developer. Contaminated areas in the 1,663-acre parcel is being cleaned up by the US Army. The remaining 23,732 acres of the Depot will be retained by the Army for continued storage of conventional ammunition.
An initial environmental assessment of the Depot, completed in 1979, found potential contamination at an area where explosives were burned or detonated in the open. Further studies showed contamination in soils and ground water, due to equipment maintenance, munitions disposal and other industrial activities. Some contaminants of concern are explosives, lead, cadmium, barium, pesticides, hydrocarbons, solvents, waste oils and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Between 1991 and 1993, the Army constructed one of the country's largest ground-water treatment plants to address a contaminant plume that had migrated off base. This plume has now retreated near the Depot boundaries. A second contaminant plume is being investigated on the northeastern side of the base. Most other contamination is on site.
There are ten operable units (OUs), containing 57 solid-waste-management units (SWMUs). SWMUs are contaminated or potentially contaminated areas. An OU is a group of SWMUs with similar contaminants or hazards, addressed together in a single remedy. OUs four through ten, which contain 17 SWMUs, are being cleaned up under the Superfund program. OUs one through three, which contain 40 SWMUs, are being addressed under Utah Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) authority. Four Superfund OUs and one RCRA OU are complete.
As of November 2004, 10 SWMU completion reports are in progross, with one awaiting final approval. Field activities began at three SWMUs in 2004 with another two scheduled for activities to begin in 2005. Also in November 2004, monitoring well installation and sampling was completed on SWMU 58 and deeep soil gas sampling started.
Site Risk
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| Soil, solid waste, debris, ground water | Explosives, lead, cadmium, barium, pesticides, hydrocarbons, solvents, waste oils, PCBs | Equipment maintenance, munitions disposal and other industrial activities. |
Cleanup Progress
Three interim removal actions were completed in 1997 at RCRA sites and two at CERCLA sites in 1998 and one RCRA site in 2000. These actions included:
- removal of soil contaminated with explosives
- removal of expended crowd-control devices (such as tear gas) from a trench
- removal and decontamination of equipment at two sites
- removal of a sump and contaminated soil at the battery-maintenance building, where soil was contaminated with lead and battery acid
- closure and removal of a waste-disposal sump.
Where interim removals are used, the site will be reviewed again before it is considered clean. Currently, most risks are to workers on the site who might come into contact with any of the contaminants.
With the exception of one site, all investigations have been completed.. Final remedies have been selected and approved for a number of sites. Remedies are being selected for others. Final remedy selection for the remainder of the sites is expected to be completed later in 2002, after public meetings/hearings are held to get community response. Notice of hearings will be sent out and printed in local newspapers about 30 days prior to the hearings.
Removal and treatment at one site was completed in 2001. The final remedy at this site will include:
- Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soils at a permitted hazardous-waste treatment-and-storage facility; and
- Implementation of a site-management plan.
Removal and treatment at several sites were completed during 2002. The final remedies at these sites include:
- Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soils at a permitted hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility; and
- Implementation of site management plans.
With the exception of ground-water contamination and source areas, all cleanups will be completed during 2002 on property that was declared excess and transferred under the 1993 BRAC action.
Site Documents
Five Year Review - March 28, 2008, (PDF, 221 pp, 11 MB - Large File!)
Contacts
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EPA Jim Kiefer John
Dalton
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Utah Helge Gabert Rik Ombach Dave Allison |
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US Army Larry McFarland Vicky Henderson April Fontaine |
View Documents at: Tooele Public Library Tooele Army Depot Grantsville Public Library Marriott Library |
