Rowley industrial area facts for kids
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Aerial view of the US Magnesium plant in Rowley
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| Coordinates | 40°54′10″N 112°46′27″W / 40.90278°N 112.77417°W |
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Rowley is an important industrial area in Tooele County, Utah. It is located on the western shore of the famous Great Salt Lake. You can find Rowley about 15 miles north of I-80, near the small communities of Timpie and Rowley Junction. This area is home to large factories that process different metals.
Discovering Rowley's History
Rowley was first established in 1970. It was chosen as the perfect spot for a big factory that would process magnesium. The area was named after Jeff Rowley. He was the CEO of a company called National Lead Industries when the factory was being built.
The Magnesium Plant's Journey
The magnesium factory has had several owners over the years.
- In the mid-1970s, National Lead Industries changed its name to NL Industries.
- Then, in 1980, NL Industries sold the factory to a company called AMAX.
- Later, in 1989, the factory was sold again to the Renco Group. At this time, its name changed to Magnesium Corporation of America, also known as Magcorp.
The factory's operations sometimes caused concerns about air quality. In the 1990s, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) noted that the factory was releasing certain chemicals into the air. These included chlorine and bromine. In 2001, Magcorp faced financial difficulties. The Renco Group bought its assets and created a new company called US Magnesium. In 2005, the CDC looked into the factory to check on the health of its workers.
The Titanium Smelter Project
In 2006, another big company, Allegheny Technologies, announced plans for a new factory in Rowley. This factory would be a titanium smelter. A smelter is a place where metal is extracted from its ore using heat. The company planned to spend about $325 million on this project.
The titanium smelter was built right next to the US Magnesium plant. It officially started working in 2012, but the final cost was higher, around $460 million. However, by September 2016, the smelter stopped its operations. This happened because it became cheaper to buy titanium from other places than to make it at the Rowley factory.
