December 2, 2010 - EarthFax Begins Design Studies for Remediation of the Northwest Oil Drain Canal in Salt Lake City, Utah

EarthFax Engineering, Inc. ("EarthFax") has begun design studies to assist in determining the best means to remove hydrocarbon- hydrocarbon-impacted sludge and sediment from the Northwest Oil Drain Canal, a major canal that conveys storm water and treated industrial and sewage effluent from Salt Lake City to the Great Salt Lake.  Historic pollutant discharge sources to the canal from 1921 to the late 1950s include two refineries, a railroad, and a wastewater treatment plant for Salt Lake City.  In 2004 and 2005 dredging operations were completed along a two-mile stretch of the canal to remove the contaminated media, but data from post-dredging investigations demonstrated that impacted media remained.  

Design studies are ongoing to determine the feasibility of diverting water from the canal to allow "dry" excavation of the remaining sludge/sediment.  These studies include wetlands mapping to protect and/or restore wetlands during construction activities, hydrologic and hydraulic evaluations to quantify the typical canal base flow and expected storm flows that will determine bypass design criteria, geotechnical evaluations to better understand slope stability limitations and potential groundwater inflows to the canal during construction activities, utility and structures mapping to identify and protect existing structures, and environmental evaluations of the canal bank soils to assess any impact they may have on remediation designs.

EarthFax Engineering, Inc. is a consulting engineering firm that was founded in 1982, with offices in Midvale, Utah.  The firm provides services in the areas of civil engineering, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydrology, geology, land reclamation, and environmental planning.  Additional information regarding EarthFax can be found at www.earthfax.com.