Unique Proposal to Clean Up Geneva Site

Unique Proposal to Clean Up Geneva Site


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Ed Yeates Reporting There are dozens of plans on the table on how to seal out the hazards of land once occupied by Geneva Steel, and then recover acres and acres of land.

But this particular proposal is fascinating - to say the least.

A Utah company called The Vision Group has built its reputation on what is called "bioremediation" of once polluted lands and waters. And its proposal has sparked considerable interest.

Unique Proposal to Clean Up Geneva Site

Mark Ellis, President, The Vision Group: "I would envision taking areas that are marginally useful, starting with Geneva, that would be about 70-thousand acre feet."

That's 70-thousand plus acre feet of material to seal and cover the Geneva site, and also remedy land farther south.

The proposal is to dredge accumulated clay and fine particle silts in Utah Lake to cover the bad ground. Once dried and compacted, the fill is ready for real estate.

There's enough sediment even in just a portion of the east side of the lake here to cover the site to a depth of four to 20 feet in some areas.

Ellis: "We found no PCB's in the sediments and we found no residual organic chemicals in the sediments."

Unique Proposal to Clean Up Geneva Site

The sediments would be dredged then transported to the Geneva site in a slurry--a potentially less expensive plan that would take about three to six months.

Ellis: "If our proposal were to go down the length of this lake and remove 12 feet of sediment, it would essentially increase by 300% the depth of the lake."

And that, Mark Ellis says, would clear up the lake providing a larger reservoir for water storage and a friendlier site for recreation.

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