Decommissioning Projects - USA 
(last updated 24 Nov 2009)
Contents:
> See also:
Site Index (includes UMTRA Title I and In-situ leach projects)
Ambrosia Lake (Title I) ·
Ambrosia Lake (Quivira Mining) ·
Bear Creek ·
Belfield mine ·
Belfield tailings ·
Bighorn Canyon ·
Bluewater ·
Bokan Mountain ·
Bowman ·
Boots/Brown ·
Bruni ·
Burns/Moser ·
Canonsburg ·
Cave Hills ·
Christensen Ranch ·
Church Rock mill ·
Clay West ·
Cottonwood Canyon area ·
Crooks Gap district ·
Crow Butte ·
Day Loma ·
Durango ·
Durita ·
Edgemont ·
Falls City (Title I) ·
Fernald ·
Ford ·
Gas Hills (ANC) ·
Gas Hills (Umetco) ·
Gas Hills North ·
Grand Junction ·
Grants ·
Graysill ·
Green Mountain ·
Green River ·
Gunnison ·
Highland (Exxon) ·
Highland (PRI) ·
Hobson ·
Holiday ·
Irigaray ·
JJ Number 1
Juniper ·
Labyrinth Canyon area ·
Lakeview ·
Lamprecht ·
L-Bar Mine
L-Bar mill ·
Lisbon ·
Lowman ·
Lucky Mc ·
Maybell ·
Mexican Hat ·
Midnite ·
Moab ·
Monticello ·
Monument Valley ·
Mt. Lucas ·
Naturita ·
Navajo Indian Res. ·
North East Church Rock ·
O'Hern ·
Orphan ·
Palangana ·
Pawnee ·
Rifle ·
Riverton ·
San Rafael Swell ·
Section 27 ·
Sherwood ·
Shiprock ·
Shirley Basin (Pathfinder) ·
Shirley Basin (Petrotomics) ·
Shootaring Canyon ·
Slick Rock ·
Split Rock ·
Spook ·
St. Anthony ·
Tex-1 ·
Tuba City ·
Uravan ·
West Cole ·
Zamzow
> See also: National Reports for Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management 
(IAEA)
Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials From Uranium Mining, Volume 2: Investigation of Potential Health, Geographic, and Environmental Issues of Abandoned Uranium Mines , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 402-R-05-007, August 2007 (Updated April, 2008)
This report, which is the second of two volumes, provides a general scoping evaluation of potential radiogenic cancer and environmental risks posed by small abandoned uranium mines in the western United States. While this technical report has been peer reviewed, EPA will take into consideration public comments for revision before the report is finalized. Comments should be provided by no later than October 30, 2007.
Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials From Uranium Mining, Volume 1: Mining and Reclamation Background , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 402R-05-007, 182 pp., January 2006, Revised June 2007 [describes the uranium mining processes (conventional and in situ-leaching) used in the United States, the volumes and characteristics of the wastes generated, and the schemes used for reclamation of former uranium mine sites.]
Status of Decommissioning Program, 2004 Annual Report, Final Report,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NUREG-1814, January 2005
> Download full report · alternate source (660k PDF 
)
Uranium Recovery Sites Undergoing Decommissioning (NRC)
Newmont Exploration Ltd. identified as responsible for clean-up of abandoned Bokan Mountain uranium mine
Bokan Mountain, 38 miles southwest of Ketchikan is the site of Alaska's only producing uranium mine; the Ross Adams open-pit and underground mine operated from 1957 to 1971.
This year, more than three decades after it was last mined and 12 years since agencies identified it as an official problem, the Forest Service nailed down Newmont Exploration Ltd. as responsible for cleaning it up.
The radiation at Bokan is between two and 100 times greater than background levels. The shafts have carcinogenic radon gas at 50 to 125 times the upper limit of safe indoor exposure levels. The surface water is contaminated and heads into Kendrick Bay, a spawning delta for all four salmon species.
(Juneau Empire July 20, 2009)
National Park Service seeks public comment on Project Scoping for an Environmental Assessment for a plan to correct health and safety hazards at abandoned mine lands in four National Parks in Arizona
The National Park Service (NPS)is preparing a plan to correct health and safety hazards at abandoned mine lands in Coronado National Memorial, Grand Canyon National Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and Saguaro National Park.
Please provide all comments by September 8, 2009.
> View NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC)
Leaking Tuba City dump finally getting federal attention
A dump near Tuba City that has been leaching low levels of radioactive waste into the shallow aquifer finally is getting some federal attention, if not an actual cleanup yet.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to fence off a remaining section of an old dump, near two Hopi villages, and test for hot spots of radioactivity close by.
This includes one area where the agency says uranium levels in the water exceed what's federally considered safe for drinking water by eight times.
Uranium-related waste found in the testing will be removed with heavy equipment beginning in October, and 263 new testing holes will be dug to search for more.
The dump, which operated uncontrolled and unlined from the 1950s to 1997, is located a few miles from a former uranium mill.
(Arizona Daily Sun Sep. 26, 2009)
EPA to rebuild uranium-contaminated Navajo homes
The federal government plans to spend up to $3 million a year to demolish and rebuild uranium-contaminated structures across the Navajo Nation, where Cold War-era mining of the radioactive substance left a legacy of disease and death.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its Navajo counterpart are focusing on homes, sheds and other buildings within a half-mile to a mile from a significant mine or waste pile. They plan to assess 500 structures over five years and rebuild those that are too badly contaminated.
Between the 1940s and the 1980s, millions of tons of uranium ore were mined from the 27,000 square-mile reservation that spans Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Many Navajos, unaware of the dangers of contamination, built their homes with chunks of uranium ore and mill tailings.
The U.S. EPA estimates it will cost $250,000 to demolish each structure, haul away the debris and rebuild. The residents of contaminated homes will not be charged for the rebuilding.
So far, the U.S. EPA has assessed 117 structures and demolished 27 of them. Thirteen have been or will be rebuilt, and the owners of the others received financial settlements.
(AP June 14, 2009)
Navajo demand comprehensive assessment of abandoned uranium mines
The Navajo Nation's top health official told the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that Navajos continue to live with the Cold War legacy of uranium mining, and that a long-term, comprehensive assessment and research program with adequate resources is needed to address it.
Anslem Roanhorse Jr., executive director of the Navajo Nation Division of Health, said 520 radioactive uranium mines on the Navajo Nation were abandoned without being cleaned up. The uranium taken from Navajo land from 1944 to 1986 was used to meet the federal government's demand for nuclear weapons material, he said.
Testifying Thursday before the bi-annual CDC and Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry Tribal Consultation session on the Environmental Public Health in Indian country, Roanhorse said four million tons of uranium ore, known as “yellow cake,” were mined from Navajo land for more than 40 years.
“There are about 500 abandoned uranimum mine sites throughout the Navajo Nation and only one has been fully assessed,” Roanhorse said. “At that site alone, the U.S. EPA estimated the total volume of contaminated materials to be about 871,000 cubic yards.”
(Indian Country Today, Dec. 8, 2008)
EPA, in response to House Committee request, announces plan towards cleaning up the legacy of abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the Department of Energy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, finalized a five-year plan for cleaning up the legacy of abandoned uranium mining on the Navajo Nation.
The plan, requested by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is the first coordinated approach created by the five federal agencies. It details the strategy and timeline for cleanup over the next five years.
EPA is currently addressing the most urgent risks on the reservation - uranium-contaminated water sources and structures. This spring, the Agency tested 50 water sources and over 100 structures for radiological contamination. EPA and the Navajo Nation EPA have launched an aggressive outreach campaign to inform residents of the dangers of consuming contaminated water. EPA will also use its Superfund authority to address contaminated structures, and has already targeted at least 13 structures for remediation.
Beginning in the 1940s nearly 4 million tons of uranium ore were mined at various locations throughout the Navajo Nation's 27,000 square mile reservation. During the next five years, EPA will complete a tiered assessment of over 500 abandoned mines, taking action to address the highest priority risks.
(EPA Region 9 release, June 13, 2008)
> Download Health and Environmental Impacts of Uranium Contamination in the Navajo Nation, Five-Year Plan, as requested by
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, June 9, 2008 (667k PDF)
> View more information on abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation (EPA Region 9)
Contaminated groundwater from radioactive waste dump near Tuba City migrating towards Hopi drinking water spring
After years of unsuccessfully petitioning various federal agencies to remove radioactive waste at a dump near Tuba City, Hopi officials now say any cleanup might come too late.
A plume of contaminated water has migrated to within one-third mile of a spring the Hopi village of Lower Moencopi uses for drinking water, new data shows.
But the EPA does not consider the dump an emergency cleanup site, and at this point, village drinking water is still safe, according to EPA standards.
That could change very soon, however. Two out of three testing wells -- those located closer to the dump -- are registering levels of radioactive water slightly above what is federally considered safe in drinking water, according to hydrogeologist Mark Miller, a consultant contracted by the tribe.
One of those wells sits at the same elevation as the spring used by Lower Moencopi.
"This is a major concern of ours," said Bill Havens, special assistant to Hopi Chairman Ben Nuvamsa.
The contaminated water has reached the canyon used to water nearby crops, raising health concerns about potentially tainted corn, beans and melons.
"It's close enough to the water that we irrigate with from Pasture Canyon that we need more conclusive data and some action to start doing something about the cleanup," said Lorena Naseyowma, assistant community services administrator for Lower Moencopi.
The unlined dump was opened by the Bureau of Indian Affairs decades ago and covered over with dirt and sand when it was closed in 1997. Cleanup is estimated to top $23 million and would require pumping contaminated water from the ground.
There is currently no plan to clean up the dump, although meetings are scheduled later this month between Hopi officials and federal regulators.
A chemical analysis has linked waste found in the dump to byproducts of a uranium mill formerly located a few miles from Tuba City.
The Department of Energy has previously dismissed any such link.
(Arizona Daily Sun Dec. 2, 2007)
House Committee appalled at federal agencies' incompetence to deal with mess left from Cold War era uranium mining on Navajo land
On October 23, 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
held a Hearing on the Health and Environmental Impacts of Uranium Contamination in the Navajo Nation. The Committee was appalled by the obvious incompetence of the involved federal agencies (EPA, DOE, NRC, IHS, BIA) to deal with the legacy left from historic uranium mining on Navajo land, although the situation is notorious for decades. The Committee urged the agencies to tackle the problem without further delay and to identify any areas where Congressional action may be required.
> Download Testimonies
Aerial survey of abandoned uranium mines identifies excess radiation areas
"Aerial radiological surveys of forty-one geographical areas in the Navajo Nation were
conducted during the period of October 1994 through October 1999. [...]
The aerial survey and subsequent processing characterized the overall radioactivity
levels and excess bismuth-214 activity (indicator of uranium ore deposits and/or
uranium mines) within the surveyed areas. A total of 772,000 aerial gamma spectra
and associated position parameters were obtained and analyzed during the multi-year
operation. The survey determined that only 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) of
the 1,144 square miles (2,963 square kilometers) surveyed (approximately 1.3 %) had
excess bismuth indications above the minimum reportable activity, thus reducing the
area requiring further investigation by a nominal factor of 76."
Source: An Aerial Radiological Survey of Abandoned Uranium Mines in the Navajo Nation, by T. J. Hendricks, DOE/NV/11718--602, August 2001
> Download full report (1.1M PDF)
Tribe urges cleanup for radioactive homes
"...thousands of Navajo men who worked in hundreds of
uranium mines across the reservation from the late 1940s through the
1970s, mining the fuel for America's nuclear weapons arsenal.
The miners found that with a little chipping, the waste ore rocks from
mines could be squared up for excellent building material for walls,
floors and foundations." [...]
"The Navajo tribe's office of the Navajo Abandoned Mine Lands
Reclamation Program has identified 1,300 abandoned uranium mines. Since
1989, about half the mines have been sealed with concrete and other
materials. But piles of exposed uranium ore waste rock remain. The rock
can contain 'hot spots' of uranium ore.
Even where mine reclamation has occurred, there are waste rock houses
left standing or only partially dismantled. And because traditional
Navajo families are sheepherders who live spread out from one another –
their high desert homeland covers parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico
– the EPA does not know how many uranium homes exist on the reservation."
(The Dallas Morning News, Dec. 26, 2000)
> see also: Letter from US EPA Region IX to Elsie Mae Begay
> Download Community Fact Sheet Orphan Mine Site (PDF - National Park Service)
Park Service to advance cleanup cost for abandoned Orphan Mine Site, as responsible parties duck
The abandoned Orphan uranium mine sits on the Grand Canyon's south rim, three miles from the park's famous El Tovar Hotel. Nearly 40 years after one of America's top-producing uranium mines was closed down, it is still leaching radioactive waste into a creek that feeds the Colorado River.
The two major defense contractors responsible for the site, whose lobbyists have close ties to Arizona Sen. John McCain, are refusing to cooperate with the National Park Service to clean up the Orphan Mine Superfund site. The park service has been trying since 2005 to negotiate a clean-up agreement with the companies. But the talks ended abruptly in February 2008 with no resolution.
The cash-strapped park service is now being forced to pay for the mine clean up, which could cost taxpayers more than $15 million. A park official said they would try to recover costs from the defense contractors later. "We can't wait," said Martha Hahn, the park's chief of science and resource management. "We need to get this cleaned up."
Shawn Mulligan, National Park Service senior environmental program adviser, said "negotiations have broken down" with Tech-Sym and Cotter Corp., subdivisions of DRS Technologies and General Atomics, over paying for an engineering evaluation to clean up the site's surface area. Mulligan said the park service will pay for the initial studies, estimated at between $1 million and $2 million.
Once a clean up plan is designed, Mulligan said the park service would ask the defense contractors to cover the work. If the companies refuse, Mulligan said the government could go ahead with the remediation, and file a lawsuit to collect damages. The cost for remediation of the Orphan Mine's surface area is estimated at $15 million. This would be the first clean-up phase.
The cost to deal with contamination inside the underground mine and in a nearby creek is unknown.
(Washington Independent July 22, 2008)
Forest Service releases cleanup plan for abandoned Juniper uranium mine
The Forest Service today announced that the Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EC/CA) for the Juniper Uranium Mine Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) project is available for a 30-day public review and comment period, with comments on the document due by August 27, 2005.
> View USDA Forest Service release July 27, 2005
Forest Service closes access to abandoned Juniper uranium mine site
On June 10, 2003, the Forest Service announced the closure of Forest Road 5N33 and the abandoned Juniper Uranium Mine area. New data indicates piles of waste rock emit more radiation than previously detected. At some locations within the site where levels reach 11 mrems an hour [0.11 mSv/h], human exposure to gamma radiation would exceed the EPA's recommended Maximum Dose Limit (MDL) of 15 mrem per year [0.15 mSv/a] when the exposure duration exceeds an hour and a half. The Forest Service has determined that erosion may have exposed gamma-emitting material to the surface, and that water runoff has contaminated about a half mile of Red Rock creek. The Forest Service is closing the area, fencing it off and posting warning signs.
The Juniper Mine site is located at 8,500 feet [2590 m] elevation on the Stanislaus National Forest, south of Sardine Meadow. The mine operated from 1956 to 1966 under private ownership and produced approximately 500 tons of uranium ore for processing in Salt Lake City, Utah. (USDA Forest Service release June 10, 2003 )
Cleaning up the site will take about two years and $2 million dollars from the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). That cleanup work will involve putting all waste rock left over from the mining process back into the pit and burying it. (Union Democrat June 10, 2003)
> See also: Stanislaus National Forest CERCLA information (U.S. EPA)
> See extra page
> See also: Exploration pits in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (Wyoming/Montana)
High radiation levels from abandoned uranium mines also found in Pryor Mountains (Montana) near Bighorn Canyon
High levels of radioactivity found at abandoned uranium mines in the Pryor Mountains has prompted the Custer National Forest to close one area and the Bureau of Land Management to consider closures at other nearby sites.
The Forest Service took radiation readings at the Sandra and Old Glory mines after an abandoned mines inventory suggested they may have high radiation levels. The mines are just west of Crooked Creek above Demijohn Hollow and southeast of the Red Pryor Ice Cave.
At the Sandra Mine, the Forest Service found readings that ranged from 1.8 times the natural background level to 369 times.
After finding the high radiation levels, the Forest Service notified the BLM. BLM lands in the Pryors also contain abandoned uranium mines.
On July 1, the BLM took readings at the Marie, Lisbon and Dandy mine sites, which are just south of the mines on Forest Service land. The highest readings were found at the Lisbon Mine, where radiation near the mouth of the mine measured 2 rems per hour [?!? presumably should read 2 millirems per hour], said Chuck Ward, a BLM ranger.
(The Billings Gazette Aug. 17, 2003)
> View operational issues
Crow Butte Resources seeks approval for bioremediation test for groundwater restoration at in-situ leach mine
By letter dated Nov. 9, 2007, Crow Butte Resources (CBR) is seeking approval from Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) for a proposed Bioremediation Test in the north section of Mine Unit 4, Wellhouse 9.
> See extra page
State to reclaim abandoned Belfield uranium mine
North Dakota's Public Service Commission's Abandoned Mine Lands Division plans to reclaim an old open pit uranium mine northwest of Belfield in summer 2004, using about $1.5 million from the federal Abandoned Mine Lands program. It is a relatively small mine, about 15 acres [6 ha], and one of the last known uranium mines in southwestern North Dakota, where uranium was mined in several locations in the 1950s and 1960s.
(Bismarck Tribune Dec. 16, 2003)
Fernald Closure Project homepage
Major source of radon exposure overlooked at former Fernald uranium processing plant (Ohio)
University of Cincinnati (UC) scientists say that a recent scientific study of a now-closed uranium processing plant near Cincinnati has identified a second, potentially more significant source of radon exposure for former workers.
That source -- six silos filled with uranium ore in the production area -- resulted in relatively high levels of radon exposure to 12 percent of the workers. More than half (56 percent) of the workers were exposed to low levels of radon while working at the site.
"Our findings have scientific and political ramifications," explains Susan Pinney , PhD, corresponding author of the study and associate professor of environmental health at UC. "Now we know workers in the plant's production area prior to 1959 may be at increased risk for developing lung cancer and other exposure-related health problems."
> View University of Cincinnati news release Oct. 23, 2008
IEER issues critical assessment of management of Fernald Silo wastes
Shifting Radioactivity Risks: A Case Study of the K-65 Silos and Silo 3 Remediation and Waste Management at the Fernald Nuclear Weapons Site , by Annie Makhijani, Arjun Makhijani, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Takoma Park, Maryland, USA, August 2006
Congo high grade tailings to be trucked to Texas Low-Level Waste site for interim storage
Waste Control Specialists has applied to the Texas Department of State Health Services to amend the license for its Low Level Waste site in Andrews County, Texas, so it can store uranium tailings from a former U.S. Department of Energy uranium processing plant in Fernald, Ohio. Originally, the Department of Energy was going to send the silo waste to the Nevada Test Site. But the State of Nevada has threatened to sue DOE if silo waste is sent there, so DOE is considering other options.
(Odessa American Oct. 22, 2004)
On April 28, 2005, DOE announced that the silo waste will be stored at the Waste Control Specialists site in Texas. The agreement covers two years of interim storage at the site. DOE still owns the waste and will look for a long-term storage or disposal arrangement. Waste Control also wants to dispose of the waste and has an application pending with the Texas Department of State Health Services.
(AP Apr. 28, 2005)
> Download Fluor release Apr. 28, 2005 (PDF)
> Download DOE Factsheet, Transporting DOE Silos 1 & 2 Material from Fernald, Ohio, Apr. 28, 2004 (PDF)
The last load of the waste will be shipped to the Texas storage site on May 26, 2005 (AP May 25, 2006).
Cleanup of Silos 1 and 2 begins
The cleanup of Silos 1 and 2 (also known as K-65 Silos) has begun. The silos contain the uranium mill tailings left over from the processing of extremely high grade uranium ores received in the late 1940's and early 1950's from the Shinkolobwe mine in then Belgian Congo (now DR Congo). It is planned to remove the 8,890 cubic yards [6,796 m3] of so-called "high activity low-level waste"(!) from the two concrete silos and store them in steel transfer tanks, then to chemically stabilize the waste and ship it off site for disposal.
> View News Release: Fernald begins removing waste from K-65 Silos (Sep 29, 2004)
Composition of the stored material
| | Concentrations | Totals |
|---|
| Silo 1 | Silo 2 | Silos 1 & 2 |
|---|
| [pCi/g] | [Bq/g] | [pCi/g] | [Bq/g] | [Ci] | [TBq] | [kg] |
|---|
| Th-230 | 60,000 | 2,220 | 48,300 | 1,787 | > 600 | > 22.2 | > 29.7 |
| Ra-226 | 391,000 | 14,467 | 195,000 | 7,215 | > 3,700 | > 136.9 | > 3.7 |
| Pb-210 | 165,000 | 6,105 | 145,000 | 5,365 | > 1,800 | > 66.6 | > 0.023 |
| Po-210 | 242,000 | 8,954 | 139,000 | 5,143 | | | |
Source: 1994 ROD, unit conversion added; TBq = 10^12 Bq
It is also estimated that Silos 1 and 2 contain more than 28 t of uranium; other significant metals include more than 118 t of barium, 830 t of lead, and 2.6 t of arsenic (t = metric ton).
Air samples collected in 1987 from the unfilled, upper portions of Silos 1 and 2 showed maximum radon concentrations of 30 million pCi/l [1.11 billion Bq/m3], that is approx. 60 million times background. External radiation monitoring on top of the silo domes showed exposure rates in excess of 200 mrem/h [2 mSv/h], that is approx. 20,000 times background. The silo contents was later covered with a bentonite clay layer to reduce radon emanation and gamma radiation.
Based on the concentrations of Ra-226, the original ore grade of the uranium ore processed can be estimated at approx. 54% U (Silo 1) and 37% U (Silo 2). The total amount of uranium contained in the original ore processed can be estimated at 11,080 t U (t = metric ton).
Silos 1 and 2 Project
Silo 1 and 2 Project Fact Sheet: Part 1 (1.8MB PDF) · Part 2 (1.6MB PDF)
Silos 1-4 Final Record of Decision (ROD), Dec. 1994 (623k PDF)
Silos 1 and 2 Final Record of Decision Amendment (RODA), June 2000 (336k PDF)
Silos 1 and 2 Final Record of Decision Amendment (RODA), July 2000 (2.81MB PDF, including appendices)
Final Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) for Operable Unit 4 Silos 1 and 2 Remedial Actions, October 2003 (136k PDF)
Silos 1 and 2 ESD Attachment 2 Responsiveness Summary (37k PDF)
Fremont National Forest Uranium Mines - Superfund Info (EPA Region 10)
NPL Site Narrative for Fremont Nat. Forest Uranium Mines (USDA) (EPA HQ)
Reclamation of White King and Lucky Lass mines to start in summer 2005
Cleanup work begins this summer and is expected to take two summer seasons. Kerr-McGee Chemical Worldwide, Fremont Lumber Co. and Western Nuclear will pay the $8 million cleanup cost. Kerr-McGee is the successor to the Lakeview Mining Co., which was formed by Lakeview-area people whom the energy commission recruited to conduct mining activities from 1955 to 1959.
At White King excavation pond, both the surface water and the ground water are contaminated, as are sediments. The pond covers about three acres and is 70 feet deep.
The most contaminated soil from both mines is to be combined and covered. The acidic water in the White King pond is to be neutralized.
About 430,000 cubic yards, from the White King overburden stockpile, 35,000 cubic yards of off-pile material and 15,000 cubic yards of haul road material will be excavated, consolidated and relocated atop a 138,000-cubic-yard stockpile.
The materials will be covered with "clay-like" material. A 2-foot soil cover will be placed over the 25-acre repository. Vegetation will be re-established atop the cover. The pond will be fenced to discourage use.
After excavation, the disturbed areas, which are expected to cover about 36 acres, will be reclaimed and revegetated.
(Herald and News, May 8, 2005)
Tronox bankruptcy raises questions about uranium cleanup in Cave Hills area
Tronox Incorporated announced on Jan. 12, 2009, that it and certain of the company's subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
That raises questions about its obligations in Harding County in northwest South Dakota with regard to reclaiming land formerly used for uranium mining.
The land had been mined in the 1950s by Tronox's predecessor, Kerr-McGee, and was left in poor condition.
(The Black Hills Pioneer Jan. 13, 2009)
"The decision to file was made to address legacy liabilities. Tronox incurred these liabilities when it was spun off in 2006 by Kerr-McGee Corporation, which has since been acquired by Anadarko. The liabilities include environmental remediation and litigation costs that Tronox was required to assume at the time of the spinoff. These liabilities are an obstacle to Tronox's financial stability and success." (Tronox Inc. Jan. 12, 2009)
One-man 'occupation' of Slim Buttes protests slow clean-up of old uranium mines
Harold One Feather is waging a one-man protest to spur the U.S. Forest Service into a quicker clean-up of an old uranium mine in the Slim Buttes in northwestern South Dakota.
One Feather, founder of the new Grand River Environmental Equality Network, said he was "occupying" the Slim Buttes, which are part of Custer National Forest.
The Grand River runs from Custer National Forest through several communities on the Standing Rock reservation, about 60 miles to the east.
One Feather and other Standing Rock residents say runoff from uranium mines may be making people on the reservation sick, though the Forest Service denies that charge.
(Rapid City Journal May 17, 2007)
New study shows environmental pollution from abandoned uranium mines in Cave Hills area, but no health problems determined
Abandoned uranium mines in northwestern South Dakota are polluting nearby waters, but a new study doesn't determine if that has caused health problems downstream. A School of Mines engineering professor says creeks flowing out of the Cave Hills north of Buffalo contain greatly elevated levels of uranium and arsenic, but the chemicals are undetectable less than ten miles downstream. The water is not used for drinking, and state data show normal cancer rates in the area. (AP Sep 12, 2006)
The final study report was released on April 18, 2007.
Final Report: North Cave Hills Abandoned Uranium Mines Impact Investigation , by Dr. James Stone, Dr. Larry Stetler, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and Dr. Albrecht Schwalm, Oglala Lakota College, April 18, 2007
Hazard cleanup at abandoned uranium mines in Harding County may cost $20 million
The clean up at abandoned uranium mines in Harding County will cost an estimated $20 million, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The agency hopes to have the Riley Pass Uranium Mines site included in the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program.
Hazardous materials contaminate 12 bluffs in the Sioux Ranger District of Custer National Forest, said Laurie Walters-Clark, on-scene coordinator of the project.
In the 1950s, uranium mining claims were filed on the 65,000 acres of the North Cave Hills, South Cave Hills and Slim Buttes areas. By 1965, the mining companies had left.
In 1989, the Forest Service built five catch basins to trap sediment washing down from the former mine sites. By the next year, the Forest Service removed more than 6,700 cubic yards of sediment from the basins. With an estimated $2 million price tag, Forest Service officials decided against further reclamation efforts.
Later soil testing showed the bluffs as sources of hazardous substances.
The Forest Service is taking public comment on its plan and will hold public meetings to explain the clean up measures that were chosen, Walters-Clark said.
(Aberdeen News July 21, 2005)
> See also: Riley Pass Abandoned Uranium Mines (U.S. Forest Service - Custer National Forest)
Group calls for action on abandoned uranium mines
Uranium mines in northwestern South Dakota that were abandoned decades ago without being cleaned up pose health threats and other problems, residents and others say.
Defenders of the Black Hills , a group of volunteers that works to ensure that the United States government upholds the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868, sponsored a meeting on Feb. 26, 2005, to learn more about the mines. The mines are located in the Cave Hills area northwest of Buffalo in Harding County, considered sacred by many American Indians. They are located on public lands managed by the Custer National Forest .
Beginning in the late 1940s, more than 200 uranium mines were dug in South Dakota. The Cave Hills area contains 27 which were abandoned by the companies that originally dug them. They have been polluting the air, land and water for the past 50 to 60 years, members of the group said.
(Aberdeen News Feb. 27, 2005; Defenders of the Black Hills)
> See also: Study of abandoned uranium mining impacts on private lands surrounding the North Cave Hills, South Dakota (South Dakota School of Mines & Technology)
> See also Myspace discussion group: Defenders of the Black Hills
NRC Docket No. 40-1341 (TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, CHATTANOOGA, TN)
NRC Material License No. SUA-816
License Termination
On June 27, 1996, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff
terminated the site-specific license for the Tennessee Valley
Authority's (TVA's) Edgemont, South Dakota uranium mill tailings
site. This is the first license terminated for a Uranium Mill
Tailings Radiation Control Act, Title II facility.
> View NRC press release No. 96-92
> See also Notice in Federal Register Vol.61 p. 35272 (July
5, 1996), download via GPO Access
> View extra page
> See: extra page
Washington Department of Health License No.: WN-I0133-1
WA Dept. of Health and NRC terminate Sherwood license
The Sherwood uranium mill near Wellpinit, operated by Western Nuclear, Inc. from 1978 to 1984, on March 9, 2001, received license termination by the state Department of Health.
> View WA DOH release March 9, 2001
On March 9, 2001, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concurred with the State of Washington’s decision to transfer the Sherwood Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA) Title II Site to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grand Junction Office (GJO) for long-term custody.
> View DOE GJO news release March 13, 2001
Open questions related to proposed License Termination
"On June 21, 2000, staff from the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and
Safeguards (FCSS) met with state of Washington personnel to determine if
the Sherwood tailings embankment located near Spokane, Washington, should
be classified as a dam under the Federal Guidelines for Dam Safety.
Contractors from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
accompanied FCSS staff. If the structure meets the Federal definition for a
dam, procedures for license termination and costs for long-term
surveillance and monitoring may be affected.
Embankment design information was reviewed, and questions related to dam
stability, liquefaction, and surface disruption from seismic events were
discussed. A preliminary determination of the dam classification will be
made, and the FERC report will identify additional information that may be
required for the final assessment."
(NRC Weekly Information Report For the Week Ending June 30, 2000)
Background documents are available through ADAMS .
> see extra page
> View background information on Uranium Mill Tailings Management - USA