The mere act of purifying, however, has been found to actually concentrate selenium in the so-called "reject" water before it is discharged. The reject water was proposed to be released into the Jordan River and nobody balked until water regulators asked in 2004 to rescind a permit request allowing the water to be pumped into the river, which flows north through the valley into the Great Salt Lake. That same year the selenium steering committee was formed.

Baker pointed out Thursday that Kennecott has contributed $130,000 toward funding selenium studies, with other monies coming from the DEQ, Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, the EPA and the North Davis Sewer District. But Kennecott's involvement in selenium issues goes back to the late 1990s.

"It's been on our radar screen for a long time," said Kennecott's Kelly Payne. "We don't want to poison the lake — we don't want to hurt the lake." "We'll have to live with whatever they say," Payne said about water quality regulators.

The EPA on its Web site lists Utah as the leader among five states that from 1987 to 1993 had the highest releases of selenium in total pounds into water and land combined. Major industries responsible included those involved in copper smelting and refining, metal coatings and petroleum refining, according to the EPA. Payne said it's important to put the issue in proper context, meaning the figures as they relate to Kennecott refer to normal mining activities of moving waste rock, which includes selenium and constitutes a "release."

At high enough doses in drinking water, the EPA states selenium can have a variety of serious immediate and long-term health impacts. For more information visit the Web site, www.epa.gov/OGWDW/contaminants/dw_contamfs/selenium.html.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com