MURRAY -- A thick layer of asbestos coats the outside of one of Murray's landmark smokestacks, and it's too dangerous for someone to remove it before demolition, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials say.
"What we have is a situation where the stack is so unstable it's now a life-safety matter to remove the asbestos," EPA's Bonnie Lavelle told the City Council Tuesday.But council members were skeptical.
"EPA says the asbestos must, not shall, be removed," Councilman John Rush said.
And there's a contractor who says he can take the asbestos off safely, so who is EPA to say it can't be removed? he questioned.
"If we sent someone up to do that, it would risk his life," Lavelle responded. The stack isn't stable enough to support the scaffolding used by a crew or person to scrape off the asbestos, she added.
"EPA is not ready to put someone's life at risk," Lavelle said. So EPA proposes a massive sprinkling system be used to control the cloud of toxic dust that could be created from the demolition.
Developers The Boyer Co. and Johansen-Thackeray & Co. still hope to demolish the stacks April 30. And that's still doable, said Lavelle, the remedial project manager for the Murray site.
EPA is currently reviewing the final demolition plans to have the two arsenic-contaminated smokestacks demolished to make room for the proposed Chimney Ridge commercial-retail development on the old site of the American Smelting and Refining Co. (ASARCO). Later, the land was owned and used by Hi-Ute Buehner.
Since Buehner and the developers want the stacks toppled, it's EPA's job to make sure it's done in a safe manner.
Scientists have analyzed the level of contamination in the bricks and found some elevated concentrations of arsenic near the top of the stacks. The average arsenic concentration inside the tallest 455-foot stack is at a level that's considered relatively low and safe, Lavelle said.
"It's not a perception that this entire stack presents a huge arsenic problem," she added.
But at the time of the study, EPA officials figured that the asbestos coating the top of the stack would have to be removed before demolition. A structural engineer, however, recommended against that given the stack's instability.
The smaller stack, rising 330 feet, had higher concentrations of arsenic.
The demolition plan calls for explosive charges to be strategically placed at the base of the smokestacks so they will fall toward the north, falling into a 41/2-foot trench. Although demolition will take no longer than 13 seconds, water sprinklers will continue about 10 minutes afterward.
The bricks will likely crumble in midair, and there's no guarantee they will fall into the trench.
Will EPA indemnify if something goes wrong, Councilman John Christensen wanted to know.
"No," Lavelle said. "Our approval does not guarantee performance standards," she added.
However, the consent decree identifies ASARCO and Hi-Ute Buehner as the responsible parties, Lavelle added.
There's not much the city can do, Rush shrugged. "I guess we just put our trust in you."