Legislative leaders are asking state environmental regulators to give them more information about a proposal that would dump contaminants into the Jordan River, and ultimately the marshes of the Great Salt Lake.

"We've cleaned up the Jordan River," said House Minority Leader Brent Goodfellow, D-West Valley. "Now, they want to pollute it more."

Goodfellow was referring to a plan by the Department of Environmental Quality to pump and treat groundwater contamination from Kennecott through a reverse-osmosis membrane that removes the minerals, mostly salts and selenium. The treated groundwater would then be used as drinking water for south county residents.

As part of the process, the selenium and salts would be dumped into the Jordan River, and that has prompted alarm from duck hunters. It also has caught the attention of lawmakers who fear it would destroy the marshes and impact wildlife.

The Legislative Management Committee has made a formal request that they want more information before DEQ proceeds with the plan.

Meanwhile, state officials have extended the public comment period to Nov. 1.

The cleanup project is a result of a 1995 legal settlement filed by DEQ against Kennecott. Kennecott agreed to pay $9 million into a trust fund and set up a $28 million line of credit. The funds , which are now worth about $61.3 million.

Don Ostler, director of the Utah Division of Water Quality, said there's really no need to be overly concerned. A discharge permit would set the parameters for how much salt and selenium could be discharged, he said.

Salt isn't the issue, he added. "Basically we're putting in the same concentration of salt that's already in the river. "

But selenium is more of a concern.

"That's the bigger worry for duck protection," Ostler said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standard for selenium is now at 5 parts per billion (ppb). EPA is considering lowering it to 4.6 ppb and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would like it set to 2 ppb.

The DEQ proposal calls for discharging "not more than" 48 ppb into the Jordan River near 2100 South.

Although it is above the standard, once in the river it would become diluted and ultimately the water in the river would stay below the threshold, Ostler said.

"Still, a lot of folks don't like that," he added.

Ivan Weber, chairman of the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, said the proposal will have a greater impact on the Great Salt Lake, which has no outlet to dilute the selenium.

"Ultimately the selenium will be transported into the Great Salt Lake in amounts destined to accumulate in the lake," Weber said. And that will have a much greater impact on the migratory shorebirds and waterfowl that pass there each year.

"If you want to kill the lake," he added, "this is a pretty sure way to do it."

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