November 5, 1999

Recently you may have received the November 1999 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Newsletter informing you of the upcoming community meeting and soils cleanup activities planned for the Apache Powder Superfund site. EPA’s Newsletter provides details on the Trinitrotoluene (TNT)-contaminated soils removal action planned for December 1999. At 7:00 PM, Tuesday, November 9th, a community meeting will be held in K-Hall at the St. David School. The meeting provides an opportunity to learn the details of the TNT test-burn, full-scale removal action of TNT-contaminated soils, and other soil clean up activities for the Superfund site.

In preparation of the planned TNT removal action, Apache Nitrogen Products, Inc. (Apache) will conduct a small-scale TNT test-burn on Wednesday, November 10th. During the test-burn, approximately five pounds of TNT-contaminated soil will be burned. The test-burn will be conducted outdoors on Apache’s property at a secure location just north of the plant operations area. The test-burn is scheduled to occur between the hours of 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. The test-burn will provide an opportunity for Apache and its contractors to appropriately prepare for the full-scale TNT removal action.

The full-scale removal action will be conducted in three phases; excavation, on-site pre-treatment and off site treatment/disposal. The TNT materials will be hand excavated and moved to the pre-treatment area located on Apache’s property. Because of the sensitive nature of TNT, Apache and EPA have decided to pre-treat the TNT materials on-site prior to transporting them off site. Pre-treatment will consist of burning the high concentration TNT in a controlled environment to reduce the concentration of TNT to a level where it may be transported safely. Pre-treatment was deemed necessary to avoid transporting potentially dangerous explosive materials from Apache to the ultimate disposal facility, which is located in Aragonite, Utah.

Necessary safety precautions will be fully implemented during the test-burn and full-scale removal action. Test-burn results will be provided through Apache Update. Apache is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for our employees and for the surrounding community.