State agency, firm agree on settlement

Utah regulators have approved a nearly $520,000 settlement over environmental violations at the state's only large-scale incinerator for hazardous waste.

The state's Solid and Hazardous Waste Control Board approved the deal Thursday with Clean Harbors Aragonite LLC, which is based in Norwell, Mass.

The company processes millions of pounds of hazardous materials, from contaminated soils and pesticides to industrial solvents and out-of-date pharmaceuticals, in Utah's western desert.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality issued 48 violations against the company in 2007 and 2008.

As part of the deal, the company will pay $153,000 in cash and do several projects meant to benefit the environment and resolve ongoing problems at the site.

Officials say it's one of the largest hazardous waste settlement ever reached in Utah.

— Associated Press