Aragonite, Utah
Aragonite is a ghost town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is located in the western portion of the state. The Utah Test and Training Range lies to the west and the Dugway Proving Grounds lies to the southwest. Interstate 80 exit 56 provides access to Aragonite. The site lies northwest of the Cedar Mountains. The low Grassy Mountains lie to the north.
Aragonite lies along the Hastings Cutoff, a historical transmontane route taken by nineteenth-century pioneers. The town was established in the early twentieth century for the mining of aragonite, though all mining operations in the area have ceased. The town site is now uninhabited and almost totally demolished.
Just east of the historical townsite is a large hazardous waste incineration facility. This facility was known as the Aptus Incinerator, and was built there in 1991 after Tooele County established the surrounding lands as the West Desert Hazardous Industries District. The incinerator was, at times, operated by Westinghouse, Rollins, Laidlaw, and Safety-Kleen, and is now operated by Clean Harbors. The facility has been the subject of several penalties administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.
