DERR-2024-008093

UTAH PETROLEUM BROWNFIELD’S
FACT SHEET

BACKGROUND: AURORA (1999 PILOT PROJECT)
The property is located on Main Street in
Aurora, Utah. The site was the location of an
abandoned gasoline service station with known
environmental contamination based on
underground storage tank closure samples
taken in 1991. In 1999, Sevier County
acquired the property because of delinquent
property taxes. The county and Aurora City
were concerned about environmental liability
issues and cleanup costs, but lacked the
environmental resources to properly address
their concerns. The primary goal of the subsurface investigation was to test the property
at several locations to determine the extent and degree of any soil or groundwater
contamination that may still be present at the site.

PARTNERS
Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality (UDEQ)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Sevier County Commissioners
Utah Department of Health
Aurora City

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In July 1999, UDEQ conducted a site
assessment with the assistance of Aurora
City, which donated the equipment and
personnel for digging several “test pits”.
By having the city and state governments
leverage resources together, the site
investigation was completed in a cost-
effective manner, resulting in significant
cost savings for the pilot project.
Based upon the site assessment results,
Aurora City demolished the building and
constructed a desired access roadway for
the local community.
Because some contamination remained in-
place, Sevier County and Aurora City
entered into a long-term lease agreement
for fixing the land use as a roadway, creating a long-term risk management solution.
The underutilized property, which had become an eyesore for the community and an
environmental liability for Sevier County, was successfully redeveloped as a result of
a unique partnership among local, state and federal agencies.