Return to Use Initiativ
2007 Demonstration Project
Rose Park Sludge Pit:
Salt Lake City, Utah
THE SITE: The Rose Park Sludge Pit site is a five-acre tract of land that
is located at Rosewood Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. Utah Oil and Refining
Company disposed of acidic waste sludge in an unlined pit on-site from the
1930s until 1957. Salt Lake City Corporation purchased the property in 1957. At
the request of the State of Utah, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List
(NPL) in September 1983. In 1982, an intergovernmental/corporate cooperation
agreement (ICCA) was signed, and construction of the remedy began. The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the remedy construction. The remedy
included constructing a bentonite slurry wall around the perimeter of the site and
capping the waste material. The primary objective of the remedy was to prevent
exposure to the acid waste sludge, eliminate potentially unhealthy odors and
vapors, and prevent off-site migration of the sludge through surface water and
ground water. EPA and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ)
determined that the remedy, as designed and implemented, was protective of
human health and the environment, and the site was deleted from the NPL in
June 2003. The site is currently a state-lead site.
THE OPPORTUNITY: Rosewood Park is used frequently by residents in the
Rose Park neighborhood for recreational purposes such as soccer, volleyball,
baseball, tennis, and picnics. The City of Salt Lake recognized that Rosewood
Park was underutilized and could become even more of an amenity to the
community. The Rose Park community was in need of additional recreational
areas. The City identified adding a dog park and additional parking spaces at
the former Superfund site as ways that Rosewood Park could be improved.
The City's plan for reusing the site accounted for maintaining protectiveness
of the site's remedy during all stages of reuse, including research, design, and
construction.
THE BARRIER: The site suffers from lingering Superfund site stigma. Signs
posted on the southern and eastern sides of the site's fence may have had an
unnecessarily alarming effect. As originally implemented, institutional controls
prevented motor vehicles from entering the capped area, which meant that the
City's proposal to add parking spaces on the site might not be feasible. Any type
of reuse at the former Rose Park Sludge Pit site would require balancing the
priorities of multiple stakeholders without compromising the protectiveness of
the site's remedy.
THE SOLUTION: EPA and UDEQ have been working closely with all site
stakeholders, including the City of Salt Lake and BP (the responsible party) to
address concerns and facilitate discussions about reuse. The City of Salt Lake
completed a "lightweight" parking area on a portion of the site that does not
Barriers:
Superfund site stigma and
coordination with multiple site
stakeholders
Solution:
EPA and UDEQ working closely with
all stakeholders to address concerns
and ensure continued protectiveness
of remedy
*
Before:
A five-acre capped parcel with public
access restrictions, located inside an
existing park
After:
A beautiful addition to the Rose Park
neighborhood for recreational use
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated January 2009
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compromise the site's remedy. Site stakeholders agreed that the City's proposal to expand the adjacent park on to the site
would be beneficial to the community. In addition to the new parking area, the City of Salt Lake utilized existing areas of
the site with fencing and low barrier walls to accommodate a dog park, which was the first area in the neighborhood where
dogs could play unleashed. Existing fencing and vegetative cover allowed for an easy transition to a dog park. The dog park,
which opened in 2008, is accessible to dogs and pedestrians but prohibits motor vehicles from accessing the capped area.
The addition of new parking spaces also created extra surveillance of the site, since the previous parking area was limited
to one side of Rosewood Park. The City also converted a property adjacent to the west side of the site into a skate park that
adds to the expanded recreational possibilities at Rosewood Park. In addition, a new playground and exercise equipment
have been installed, along with sidewalks and landscaping. The City will propose new language to EPA and UDEQ for the
signs placed on fencing on the eastern and southern sides of the site.
THE SITE NOW: The site's remedy remains protective of human health and the environment, and appropriate institutional
controls are in place and functioning. Contractors for the responsible party regularly inspect the site for cap breaches and
sample ground water wells on the site, in accordance with the site's Operation and Maintenance Plan. Rosewood Park
provides a buffer area between the adjacent freeway, waste water treatment plant, and residences that surround the site. The
addition of the dog park and parking area bring many added benefits to the Rose Park community.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Armando Saenz, EPA Region 8 Remedial Project Manager, at (303) 312-
6559 or saenz.armando@epa.gov: or Fran Costanzi, EPA Region 8 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator, at (303) 312-
6571 or costanzi.frances@epa.gov: or Chad Gilgin, UDEQ Project Manager, at (801) 536-4237 or cgilgin@utah.gov.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
updated January 2009
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