Environmental Relations
Significant groundwater contamination exists in the aquifer downgradient of the Bingham Canyon mining operations. Approximately 80 square miles (210 km2) are impacted in the southwest portion of Salt Lake County. Because of the remediation efforts, which include more than a $100 million dollar investment in a reverse osmosis facility, Kennecott's South End (location of the contaminated aquifer) was removed from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL). This investment represents one of many remediation projects along the Oquirrh Mountains to clean up historic mining sites. To date, Kennecott Utah Copper has remediated more than 10,000 acres (40 km2) of the total 40,000 acres (160 km2) impacted by mining at a cost of more than $450 million.
KUCC is considering possible alternatives that will keep the Bingham Canyon Mine open for another couple decades. The open pit operations are projected to extend to 2016.
Read more about this topic: Kennecott Utah Copper
Famous quotes containing the word relations:
“I only desire sincere relations with the worthiest of my acquaintance, that they may give me an opportunity once in a year to speak the truth.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)