Arsenic in Old Rose Park Sludge Pit

Kamie Young
12/07/2015
Geo 2350, SLCC, Mentor: Chris Johnson
Abstract:
This project is about collecting levels of arsenic at an old superfund site called Rose Park
Sludge Pit. The site was contaminated with acidic waste sludge from a petroleum refinery east of
the site served as the source of the waste material. My hypothesis is that the barrier that the EPA
installed was still intact and the remaining sludge had not leeched through the preventative layers
set in place. I went and took collective soil samples to test for arsenic to see if the cap to the site
was still in working order and no leeching had occurred.
Introduction:
At the Rose Park Sludge Pit I took collective soil samples to test how much
arsenic was located there. According to my results there was only on sample that showed high
levels of arsenic at 73.05ppm (parts per million). According to the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry) the highest levels of arsenic near children should be 70ppm.
This could mean that there is a leak in the clay cap of the site but it would be very small if that
was the case.
That led me to ask about the levels of arsenic in the ground water. At this point I sent a
message to the Remedial Project Manager of the site Armando Saenz. As soon as I am able to
communicate with him I will be able to further my research by getting reports of past levels of
arsenic at the site. I always will be investigating the petroleum pipeline that runs north of the site
to see if that could be the cause of the arsenic as well.
Background:
The Rose Park Sludge Pit Superfund site is a 5-acre tract of land located at Rosewood
Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the time of the dumping in the 1930s it was surrounded by
neighborhoods of young blue-collar worker families. The area now is surrounded by
neighborhoods on the east, south, and west side.
Rosewood Park was bought by an oil refinery called Amoco and they dumped their
petroleum waste there in the 1930s to 1957. (Wikipedia) The pit was unlined and posed a threat
to ground water and surrounding organisms especially because the people who lived near Rose
Park and gained their water from wells, though now they gain water from the municipal water
supply. The EPA went to examine the site because of a petition to have the dump cleaned was
made by the people who lived around the area. The dump smelled because of
the carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and sulfur dioxide and there was a risk of
arsenic contaminating in the water supply.

The EPA removed a large portion of the waste and lined the pit with a bentonite slurry
wall, diluting sediment, a clay cap, ground water monitors, and water quality and cap checkups
every few days. All onsite wells are completed within the aquifer system known regionally as the
"shallow aquifer. The shallow aquifers are meant to show if there is any leakage in the slurry
wall. (EPA) The remedial construction began in 1982 and was completed in 1992 and
groundwater monitoring is still continuing.
Methods:
Step 1.) Measure the site into 18 square sections.
Step 2.) Take collective samples (one from each corner of the square and the final in the
middle), digging 6-12 inches deep into the clay layer.
Step 3.) Take GPS location of middle sample.
Step 4.) Take samples to lab for sifting and testing with the XRF(x-ray fluorescence).
Step 5.) Export data from XRF to GIS for comprehensive mapping.
Results:
After analysis of the 18 soil samples that were collected at Rosewood Park I found that
only one sample (sample 3) was above the ATSDRs (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry) regulations for toxic levels of arsenic at 70ppm (parts per million) (PHS). Sample 3
tested 73.05ppm of arsenic and a few other samples tested just below regulations at 68.57ppm
and 62.91ppm. The figure above reveals the actual levels collected in parts per million.
Discussion:
Due to the high levels of arsenic found in the site it could be interpreted that there is a
leak in the cap of the remediated site or that there is a leak in the petroleum pipeline that runs on
the north end of the park parallel to the dirt road. The pattern also corresponds with the ground
water direction flow which is northeast to southwest.
More analysis is required to test the groundwater to see if it also is carrying arsenic. In
order to gain that information I would need to request the data from recent testing by the
Remediation Project Manager, Armando Saenz. With this data I could also see what the normal
amount of arsenic is and how this can affect nearby sources.
Conclusion:
The analysis of the soil samples taken for Rose Park Sludge Pit shows that the levels of
arsenic are between toxic and non-toxic levels. However the site is secluded enough that it is not
likely for someone to receive any toxins from the soil. More study is required for water data
analysis to see if there is contamination. Also more research is required on the past normal
analysis of arsenic at the site.

References for Rose Park

EPA (3 Dec. 2015) Site information for Rose Park Sludge Pit. EPA. (2015 Dec. 02) Retrieved
from: http://www2.epa.gov/dwreginfo/revised-total-coliform-rule-and-total-coliform-rule
Cumulis. (7, Dec. 2015) Site Information for Rose Park Sludge Pit. EPA. (7, Dec. 2015).
Retrieved from:
http://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/dsp_ssppSiteData1.cfm?id=0800663#Status
Public Health Services (PHS). (5 Nov. 2005). Health Consultation. U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. (2015 Dec. 02) Retrieved from:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/Arsenic%20in%20Soil%20in%20East%20Omaha/0
Arsenic-Soil-EastOmahaHC110405.pdf
Saenz, Armando. (July. 2014) Return to Use Initiative. EPA. (7, Dec. 2015). Retrieved from:
http://pubweb.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/pdf/RosePark.pdf
Wikipedia (3 Sept. 2015). Rose Park, Salt Lake City. Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. (2015
Dec. 2)
Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Park,_Salt_Lake_City
Wikipedia (12 Oct. 2015) Amoco. Wikipedia. (2015 Dec. 02) Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoco
Pictures:
Figure 1. Wright, Joshua. (2015). Handheld XRF Spectrometer. 911Metallurgist. (2015 Dec. 7).
Retrieved from: http://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/handheld-xrf-spectrometers
Figure 2. Ouya, Daisy. (16, Aug. 2013). New X-ray technology to reveal the makeup of African
Soils. Agroforestry World Blog. (2015 Dec. 7). Retrieved from:
http://blog.worldagroforestry.org/index.php/2013/08/16/new-x-ray-technology-to-revealthe-makeup-of-africa-soils/

Commented [KY1]:

Figure 1

Rose Park Data Points of Arsenic 1

Figure 2