Though some recognizable names continue to top a federal list for toxic releases in Tooele County, the overall number of toxins released by industry into the local environment decreased by more than 2 million pounds in 2013.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual Toxic Releases Inventory, Tooele County industries released a combined total of 9.08 million pounds of toxic materials in 2013 — down from the 11.16 million pounds reported in 2012.
The decrease marks a trend of decline that has continued three years since the county’s toxic releases last peaked at 13.95 million pounds in 2011.
The EPA’s annual report discloses the amount of toxic chemicals that pose a threat to human or environmental health, such as chlorine, acids, lead and asbestos, discharged in a given area by local industries.
Releases disclosed in the report include chemical compounds that are released into local air or water systems, that are buried on site, or that are transported off-site for release or burial or that are otherwise disposed. The report’s stated goal is to make residents aware of toxins that may be present in their communities.
“It is your right to now what toxic chemicals are being used in your community, how they are being disposed of or otherwise managed, and whether their releases to the environment are increasing or decreasing over time,” the report says.
The report’s findings do not take releases of criteria pollutants, such as ozone or PM 2.5, into account, and so represent a small fraction of the emissions produced by any given industry.
U.S. Magnesium topped the EPA’s list of top sites for toxic releases in the county. With more than 3.5 million pounds of releases in 2013, U.S. Magnesium was also the second-highest producer of toxic releases in the state of Utah, behind Kennecott.
Tom Tripp, technical services director for U.S. Magnesium, said 2013 was an average year for the company and that the listing was an accurate depiction of toxins produced by the metals extraction company. But compared to the past, he said, the company’s releases have improved noticeably.
“We’re doing our best not to have emissions, and if you look at the history of the place, we’ve reduced our overall emissions by nearly 90 percent,” he said.
In the past, Tripp said, the company has produced as much as 180 million pounds of toxic releases per year.
Clean Harbor’s Grassy Mountain came in second in Tooele County with just under 3 million pounds of releases in 2013. Grassy Mountain was also the third-highest source of releases in the state.
Energy Solutions was third in Tooele County, with more than 2 million pounds of releases.
Toxic releases in the county primarily end up discharged into the land or air, according to the report. About 3.84 million pounds of releases went into the county’s airshed in 2013, while 5.24 million pounds were released into landfills. No releases into local watersheds were reported.
Chlorine, which accounted for 59 percent of the toxins emitted into the air, remains the number one chemical released in Tooele County, followed by hydrochloric acid, which accounted for 40 percent of the air-based releases, and lead, which accounted for 23 percent of the releases buried in landfills.