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NPL Site Narrative for Utah Power & Light/American Barrel Co.
UTAH POWER & LIGHT/AMERICAN BARREL CO.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Federal Register Notice: October 4, 1989Conditions at proposal (May 5, 1989): The Utah Power & Light/American Barrel Co. Site covers about 2 acres east of 600 West Street and north of South Temple Street in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. The site is in an industrialized area, with Union Pacific Railroad property to the west and Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad property to the immediate southeast. A residential area is within 400 feet to the west, and downtown Salt Lake City within 0.5 mile to the east.
The property is owned by Utah Power & Light (UP&L), which operated a pole and tie creosote treating facility on the land during the early 1900s, according to records of the Utah Bureau of Solid and Hazardous Waste. From the 1950s to 1988, American Barrel Co. leased the land for storing drums. In 1986, Meyers Container Corp. purchased from American Barrel all drums fit for reconditioning and removed them to a recycling plant a block south of the site. Meyers also purchased the recycling plant from American Barrel.
In mid-1987, an estimated 50,000 mostly empty 55-gallon barrels remained on-site, stacked on their sides to heights up to 20 feet and supported by stones on the ground. Some drums still contained wastes, and soil staining suggested that they may have leaked.
During 1987-88, American Barrel removed the barrels, emptied the contents into drums, and transported the materials to disposal facilities regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In July 1988, EPA issued a CERCLA Section 106 Administrative Order on Consent to secure the site. The site is now fenced, locked, and posted.
According to EPA tests conducted in 1987, soil 16 feet beneath the site and on-site monitoring wells are contaminated. Among the compounds in shallow ground water are styrene (attributable to the barrel yard activities) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds (attributable to the creosote operations of the early 1900s). Shallow ground water is connected to deeper water that within 3 miles of the site provides drinking water to the Salt Lake City Water System, which serves an estimated 377,000 people. An additional 4,000 people are served by private wells within the 3-mile radius.
Status (October 4, 1989): EPA is considering various alternatives for the site.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.