Why did the company hide for so long that its old tailings pond, now a 5,700 acre embankment, might breach in a large earthquake and bury the community her daughter lives in at the northeastern edge of Magna?

Why did the state Engineer's Office agree to help the company keep the problem secret? And does the agency have the engineering reports it needs to determine if the inactive tailings pond is safe now?

"I'd like to hear what they have to say about it," said Uzelac, holding a copy of a Salt Lake Tribune special report on the old impoundment. "And why they didn't say anything about it before now?"

A number of residents of the Green Meadows Estates neighborhood share Uzelac's concerns and plan to turn out for upcoming community meetings at which Kennecott promises to answer questions about the old tailings pond.

The reaction from state and local officials ranged from shrugs to calls for review.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. did not comment on the Kennecott cover-up and the state's role in it and instead issued a statement.

"The governor is committed to the health and safety of all Utahns," said spokeswoman Lisa Roskelly. "State regulators will continue to work collaboratively with the citizens of Magna and the company to make sure the citizens of Utah are safe."

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said his office will review the Tribune articles before deciding if further investigation is warranted.

Meanwhile, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon is calling for briefings - by Kennecott and regulatory agencies - to dig deeper into the disclosure issue. He says it is clear that a "mistake" was made years ago to keep the hazard hidden.

"It sounds like much of the corrective action has been taken," Corroon said Monday, "but I want to be assured that there are no remaining issues."

The mayor says it is "not our intent at this point" to call for an investigation by the District Attorney's Office.

Such a probe must be launched by state officials anyway, insists Deputy District Attorney Craig Anderson, unit chief for environment, natural resources and public health.

"The county doesn't have a regulatory role in terms of the mining activities at Kennecott," Anderson said.

It also is premature to assign criminal negligence regarding the lack of disclosure, said a spokesman for District Attorney Lohra Miller, noting that nothing has been brought to her office for review.

County Councilman Michael Jensen, who lives in unincorporated Magna and represents the county's west end, says he was contacted by riled residents Monday.

"It concerns me greatly," Jensen said. "I was a little taken back that they [Kennecott officials] would cover it up."

At the same time, Jensen says he is eager to "hear Kennecott's side of the story," and plans to attend Thursday's town meeting.

"I want to make sure all of the residents' voices are being heard and that their families are safe," he added. "I would hope that Kennecott is forthright. They need to make sure they have the confidence and trust of the public going forward."

County Councilman Jim Bradley suggests the case is more a sin of omission than commission. The public, he says, should have been informed by any agency in the know.

"Generally speaking, Kennecott's been a pretty good corporate citizen, given that they pollute," Bradley said. ''The question is, 'What did the state know? And how culpable is the state?' ''

David K. Marble, director of Utah's Dam Safety office, restated Monday that he is not certain his office has authority over an impoundment that is no longer being used (since Kennecott moved its tailings disposal in 2002 to a new North Impoundment) and that was built before the state's 1990 dam safety regulation. He feels confident the old impoundment no longer poses a danger to Magna residents.

Still, he said: "I will review the situation and see if there's anything else we can do."

The company does have defenders. One is Norm Fitzgerald, a retired Marine and longtime member of the Magna Town Council.

"There are folks who feel Kennecott doesn't do enough, but in my opinion they have bent over backward," Fitzgerald said.

Kennecott Utah Copper spokesman Kyle Bennett said Monday the company had fielded just two calls from residents Monday.

But, in a letter sent to the Green Meadows neighborhood last week, the company alerted residents about the Tribune articles and tried to assure them the impoundment is safe and that current Kennecott managers cannot respond to the actions of past managers.

"What we can say is that today we would have engaged our community stakeholders earlier in the process on such important issues that might affect them," the letter said.

Owen Edwards is a Green Meadows resident who hopes to be able to attend one of the meetings. While some of his neighbors were looking for attorneys to represent them in a suit against the company, he is planning to have his water tested to make sure the tailings aren't affecting his health already.

Although his front window looks out at the old tailings mound, which the company continues to stabilize, he only learned about the danger in the Tribune stories. He said: "I'd never heard a word about it."

fahys@sltrib.com

djensen@sltrib.com