Work along the Jordan River has begun on one of three riparian improvement projects that state and federal regulators said represents the final requirements in Midvale to clean up a federal Superfund site.
The first project site, near 7800 South, is described as a so-called sheet pile dam, which the Environmental Protection Agency called a "relic" from Midvale's past mine waste smelting operations.
The EPA, Utah Department of Environmental Quality and Midvale are collaborating on the projects, which include installing spur dikes to direct the river's flow away from the bank in certain areas. The Salt Lake County Division of Water Resources will use an EPA grant for a third project that involves bank stabilization.
The entire Superfund site in Midvale and part of nearby Murray comprises 446 acres that hosted smelting activities for decades until 1958. A Superfund designation means a site is considered by the federal government to be among the most contaminated in the country. It also means federal funds are available for cleanup of those sites.