US Magnesium is mothballed, leaving Utahns with a giant and expensive mess. Here’s what to know.
Regulators say it will take at least $100 million to clean up the bankrupt plant, while environmental experts worry it’s already contaminating the Great Salt Lake.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The retrofitted waste pond at US Magnesium, which has ceased operations at the magnesium plant on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake, is pictured on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024.
Leia Larsen is a sixth generation Utahn and a water and land use reporter reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune. She has covered environment, energy and political issues throughout the West. When she’s not chasing the news, Leia can be found exploring the Wasatch Mountains, sleeping in the desert or rooting around her garden.