Aragonite, Utah
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Aragonite, Utah | |
|---|---|
  Aragonite, Utah | |
| Coordinates: 40°44′34″N 113°0′10″W / 40.74278°N 113.00278°WCoordinates: 40°44′34″N 113°0′10″W / 40.74278°N 113.00278°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| County | Tooele |
| Elevation | 4,554 ft (1,388 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| Area code(s) | 435 |
| GNIS feature ID | [1] |
Aragonite is a ghost town in Tooele County, Utah, United States, located in the western portion of the state. The Utah Test and Training Range lies to the west and the Dugway Proving Grounds lie to the southwest. Interstate 80, exit 56 provides access to Aragonite. The site lies northwest of the Cedar Mountains. The low lie to the north.[2]
Aragonite lies along the Hastings Cutoff, a historical transmontane route taken by nineteenth-century pioneers. The town was established in the early twentieth century for the mining of aragonite, though all mining operations in the area have ceased.[3] The town site is now uninhabited and almost totally demolished.
The ghost town has been described as "an old mining town from the early 20th century that mined aragonite. This mine was only in operation for a few years but today [in 2009] the mineshafts are still open and a few bunkhouses remain, as well as an old truck."[4]
Just east of the historical townsite is a large hazardous waste incineration facility. This facility was known as the Aptus Incinerator, and was built there in 1991 after Tooele County established the surrounding lands as the West Desert Hazardous Industries District.[5][6] The incinerator was, at times, operated by Westinghouse, Rollins, Laidlaw, and Safety-Kleen, and is now operated by Clean Harbors.[5]
According to the Provo Daily Herald, the Aptus incinerator at Aragonite was the first hazardous waste incinerator in Utah. In 1992, it had the capacity to burn 70,000 tons of waste per year, most of which came from out-of-state sources.[7]
The facility has been the subject of several penalties administered by the EPA.[8][9]
References[]
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Aragonite, Utah
- ^ Utah Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 9th ed., 2014, p. 15 ISBN 0-899332552
- ^ Aragonite, Utah Ghost Towns.
- ^ Balaz, Christine (2009). Utah: An Explorer's Guide. Countryman Press. p. 368. ISBN 9780881507386. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ a b Aragonite Hazardous Waste Incinerator. Center for Land Use Interpretation.
- ^ "Aragonite Permit: Clean Harbors, LLC". Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Waste Management & Radiation Control. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Final test burn starts Tuesday". Provo Daily Herald. 9 March 1992. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ Utah Incinerator Faces Penalties. Deseret News, September 29, 2009.
- ^ Clean Harbors Environmental Services, Inc. to pay penalty for chemical reporting violations at Aragonite, Utah facility. US EPA, May 30, 2013.
Municipalities and communities of Tooele County, Utah, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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- Ghost towns in Tooele County, Utah
- Ghost towns in Utah
- Incinerators
- Hazardous waste