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National Information
Regional Information
Site Information
National Priorities List (NPL) History

Proposed Date
9/3/2008

U.S. Magnesium

Site Type: Proposed
County: Tooele
Street Address: Great Salt Lake southwest shore, approximately 15 miles north of the Rowley exit on I-80
Zip Code: 84029 and 84083
EPA ID#: UTN000802704
SSID: 08PU
Site Alias: U.S. Magnesium, LLC

Site Status and Updates

NEW: The comment period on the proposal to list this site on the NPL has been extended through November 24, 2008.

To comment on the EPA proposal to add U.S. Magnesium to the National Priorities List, please submit your comments, identified by FDMS Docket # EPA-HQ-SFUND-2008-0584, by using one of the following methods:

  1. Go to www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
  2. Please send written comments to the following address:
      Docket Coordinator, Headquarters
      U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
      CERCLA Docket Office (Mail Code 5305T)
      1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
      Washington, D.C. 20460
      Email: superfund.docket@epa.gov
      Phone: 202-566-0276

Supporting documents for this proposed action are published in the Federal Register, or available at the following locations:

Red River Anode Outfall Sampling and Dead Bird Recent Risk assessments and previous investigations indicate high levels of environmental contamination at this site. Contaminants consist of: metals, including arsenic, chromium, mercury, copper, and zinc; acidic waste water; chlorinated organics; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); dioxins/furans, hexachlorobenzene (HCB); and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These wastes are being released into the environment and are largely uncontrolled. View additional photos of the site.

EPA, with support from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ), is proposing to list U.S. Magnesium on the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is a list of sites across the nation that are contaminated with hazardous substances, commonly known as Superfund sites. Listing the US Magnesium site on the NPL will enable EPA to use the Superfund law to address contamination at the site. If EPA finalizes the proposed listing of U.S. Magnesium, the site would qualify for extensive cleanup under the Superfund program to address hazardous and uncontrolled wastes at the property. A final NPL listing also guarantees the public an opportunity to participate in cleanup decisions through the Superfund process.

Placing U.S. Magnesium on the NPL will help to ensure that contamination is addressed and risks to human health and the environment are controlled. This action will not necessarily halt production at the facility. Overall, a National Priorities Listing will provide EPA the resources and authority to comprehensively address the uncontrolled hazardous wastes at the U.S. Magnesium facility.

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Site Description

Aerial view of U.S. Magnesium facility

The U.S. Magnesium facility spans 4,525 acres in Tooele County, Utah. The facility is located in a scarcely populated, industrial area, 40 miles west of Salt Lake City and 33 miles north of Grantsville. The current owners/operators are U.S. Magnesium, LLC and parent company Renco Group, Inc.

The facility is adjacent to the Great Salt Lake, an area that has been designated as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network and is being considered as a Wetland of International Importance. It is an ecosystem that attracts millions of birds per year and houses many unique plants and animals as well as certain species of federal and state concern.

The facility has been producing magnesium at the site since 1972. It uses brine from the Great Salt Lake as the raw material and produces a variety of wastes. There are areas of uncontrolled wastes on the property which investigations show are threatening the health of workers and the environment.

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Site Risk

EPA and UDEQ have been concerned about releases from the facility to the environment from the site for more than 15 years. Risk assessmets show environmental and human health risks.

Contaminants consist of heavy metals, acidic wastewater, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins/furans, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These contaminants have both cancerous and non-cancerous health risks to humans and wildlife and have been released into the air, soil, surface water, and groundwater and are largely uncontrolled.

Birds have been regularly observed in contact with or near contaminated areas on the site. Observations indicate that many waterfowl die after coming into contact with the contamination. Bird egg studies have documented concentrations of PCB and HCB in all eggs at or near the site. Additionally, about twenty years ago, the lake level rose and flooded the site creating an open conduit for contaminants to travel into the Great Salt Lake.

Dioxin, PCBs and HCB are present at levels potentially posing both cancer and non-cancer (diabetes and immune system) risks to industrial workers throughout the site. Blood testing of workers in 2002 and in 2004 found elevated levels of dioxin and HCB as compared to the general U.S. population.

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Community Involvement

EPA announced this proposed NPL listing of US Magnesium to the general public in a public notice which ran in the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, and the Tooele Transcript on September 3. In addition, EPA informed local agency officials, elected officials, and area non-profit interest groups in advance of the proposed listing. During the extended comment period from September 3 - November 24, 2008, any member of the general public may submit comments on this proposed listing via email or in writing. Please see instructions on how to do so above. For more information about the US Magnesium site proposed NPL listing, please feel free to contact one of the representatives listed below.

At the end of the public comment period, if EPA finalizes the US Magnesium site on the NPL, EPA will issue another public notice in area newspapers. EPA will update this Website and embark on a substantial and meaningful public involvement process, including, but not limited to, a community stakeholder group, technical assistance grants for community groups, public meetings and comment periods.

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Site Documents

Note: the following documents are Adobe PDF files (about PDF files)

Proposed Rule, FR notice #49

Final Rule, FR notice #45

HRS package to propose site for the NPL

HRS package correction, September 23, 2008

U.S. Magnesium Site Fact Sheet

Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment documents:

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Contacts

Gwen Christiansen
NPL Coordinator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202
1-800-227-8917, x312-6463
(303) 312-6463
christiansen.gwen.@epa.gov

Jennifer Chergo
Office of Communication and Public Affairs
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 312-6601
1-800-227-8917, x3126601
chergo.jennifer@epa.gov

Chad Gilgen
Environmental Scientist
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
168 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
(801) 536-4237
cgilgen@utah.gov

Dave Allison
Community Involvement Coordinator
Utah Department of Environmental Quality
168 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
(801) 536-4479
dallison@utah.gov

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