Celebrating Su

Murray Smelter
IrSuperfund
Murray, Utah
Redevelopment
Initiative
"Existing concrete structures and large
quantities of slag from the
decommissioned smelter were
extensively reused on-site as
foundation and pavement underlays,
eliminating the need to export this
material off-site. A new landmark has
now been created from the old; one
that stands for healing."
Healthcare Design Magazine -
Architectural Showcase
li
For more information, please contact
Melissa Friedland at
friedland.melissa@epa.gov or (703) 603-
8864;
or Frank Avvisato at
avvisato.frank@ena.gov or (703) 603-
8949.
Until recently, two giant smokestacks, a host of industrial buildings, and two
mobile home parks were situated among slag piles formed Murray City's
prominent landmark. This blight on the community was a remnant of former
lead smelters, the first of which opened in 1872. Later the American Smelting
and Refining Co. (ASARCO) operated a larger smelter on the site from 1902
until ceasing operations in 1949.
EPA discovered contamination at the site in 1986. Follow-up testing revealed
that years of smelting and refining activities had heavily contaminated the
site's soil, surface water, ground water and sediments. The site was proposed
to the National Priorities List in 1994, but it was never finalized. EPA and
ASARCO entered into settlement agreements for performing site
investigations and cleanup. EPA and Murray City also entered into a unique
agreement, allowing the City a formal role in the Superfund process.
EPA initiated a series of collaborative problem-solving meetings with
ASARCO, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Murray City and
site property and business owners to discuss remedial options and to gather
input about possible future land-use scenarios. Murray City received a
Brownfields assessment grant to develop a plan outlining City needs and the
site's reuse possibilities. This effort exemplifies EPA Superfund program's
efforts to minimize barriers to reuse while protecting human health and the
environment. Cleanup of the site involved excavation and disposal of the most
hazardous waste off site, with consolidation and capping of less-contaminated
materials in a repository on site. EPA and Murray City coordinated with
ASARCO on the design of the repository so it could be placed under the new
roadway into the site and property' owners dedicated the land for the road.
Monitored natural attenuation for ground water contamination is ongoing.
ASARCO accelerated the remedial activities to facilitate redevelopment.
Murray City also created the Smelter Site Overlay District to enforce
institutional controls that have been established to protect the remedy and
regulate redevelopment. This group effort allowed for a less expensive remedy
that facilitated reuse of the entire property.
Today, the smokestacks are gone, and Intennountain Medical Center's (IMC)
100-acre campus is emerging as the City's new landmark and the flagship for
Intennountain Healthcare. "Green" construction practices, such as crushing the
smokestacks and using them as part of the foundation materials, instead of
moving them to landfills, were used when building the campus. IMC opened in
2007 and consists of centers for women and newborns, heart and lung,
outpatient care, cancer specialties, and trauma facilities. The Informatics
Research Center, which will support IMC's clinical information systems and
create information technology jobs in the area, opened in February 2011. In
addition to IMC, a Utah Transit Authority light rail station with a 300-space
parking lot and a Costco store are also located on the site.
This site has been transformed from a contaminated, underutilized industrial
property into one with important commercial, retail and public sendees uses.
The economic impact of revitalization is expected to boost property values
throughout the community leading to complementary office and commercial
development.
November 2011

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