Moab Tailings
Encyclopedia
Moab Tailings is a uranium
mill waste pond situated alongside the Colorado River
, currently under the control of the U.S. Department of Energy
. Locals refer to it as the Moab Tailings Pile.
In 1952 Charlie Steen found the largest uranium deposit in the United States near Moab, Utah
. The uranium was processed by the Uranium Reduction Company and the waste slurry was stored in an unlined pond adjacent to the river. The Uranium Reduction Company was sold in 1962 and renamed the Atlas Uranium Mill.
After the mill was closed in 1984 the pond was capped. There was also a pile of mine tailings
that was over 90 feet tall at its highest point. It is believed that pollutants from the waste tailings is leaching
into the river, inferred from the lethal effect on fish, primarily from high concentrations of ammonia
. In August 2005 the Department of Energy announced that 11.9 million short tons (10.8 million tonnes) of radioactive tailings
would be moved, mostly by rail, and buried in a lined hole. The proposed holding site is public land at Crescent Junction, Utah, about 30 miles from the Colorado River. In February 2006 a final Environmental Impact Statement
met with United States Environmental Protection Agency
approval. The cost of the relocation was originally estimated to be $300 million dollars, but 2008 Department of Energy estimates are in excess of $720 million dollars.
The contract for the first transfer of the tailings has been awarded and the first relocation is expected to occur in late 2008. A series of works to extract and evaporate the water and ammonia from the pile before it reaches the Colorado River has been completed.
The location of the tailings pile is at 38.599727N,109.597612W http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.599727,-109.597612&aq=&sll=34.228552,-118.535957&sspn=0.194443,0.284271&ie=UTF8&ll=38.588967,-109.581757&spn=0.091911,0.142136&z=13
plan to move the tailings is contracted out to EnergySolutions who will haul the tailings from the current Atlas Uranium Mill site to the tiny town of Crescent Junction, Utah
by railroad. This plan is based on the most current funding schedule which will provide for a complete removal by 2028.
A series of amendments to the Defense Authorization Act, sponsored by Rep. Jim Matheson are attempting to move the completion date to 2019. If these become law, the rate of removal would be doubled.
According to the current plan, huge "dirty" trucks will pull 40-ton containers filled with tailings to a structure that will be located between the talings and Potash Road. Once in the structure the containers would be covered by lids. A radiological survey verifies that they have no radioactive material on the outside, and the containers will then be hauled by "clean" trucks up to a railroad line to be placed on rail cars for the transportation to the disposal site near Crescent Junction. Dirty trucks will never travel to the clean side of the lidding structure, and clean trucks will never be on the dirty side.
Once at Crescent Junction the process will be reversed, with the exception that the tailings will be dumped out of end gates rather than from the top to minimize dust as well as prevent contamination to the outside containers. A knife-edge seal will be employed to ensure no materials dribble out of the end gates during the transfer.
Six clean trucks will make 22 to 23 loops per day, on a 21.2-minute cycle, between the lidding area and the rail line. About 136 containers will be transported daily with a four-day per week schedule.
An overpass is to be built across Potash Road so haul trucks will never encounter highway traffic.
Rail shipments began in April 2009. The clean trucks were replaced by the rail line, with the containers still needed to be lidded as before. On March 3, 2010, the Department of Energy announced it had shipped one million tons of tailings.
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mill waste pond situated alongside the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, currently under the control of the U.S. Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
. Locals refer to it as the Moab Tailings Pile.
In 1952 Charlie Steen found the largest uranium deposit in the United States near Moab, Utah
Moab, Utah
Moab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks...
. The uranium was processed by the Uranium Reduction Company and the waste slurry was stored in an unlined pond adjacent to the river. The Uranium Reduction Company was sold in 1962 and renamed the Atlas Uranium Mill.
After the mill was closed in 1984 the pond was capped. There was also a pile of mine tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
that was over 90 feet tall at its highest point. It is believed that pollutants from the waste tailings is leaching
Leaching (agriculture)
In agriculture, leaching refers to the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation. Soil structure, crop planting, type and application rates of fertilizers, and other factors are taken into account to avoid excessive nutrient loss.Leaching may also refer to ...
into the river, inferred from the lethal effect on fish, primarily from high concentrations of ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
. In August 2005 the Department of Energy announced that 11.9 million short tons (10.8 million tonnes) of radioactive tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
would be moved, mostly by rail, and buried in a lined hole. The proposed holding site is public land at Crescent Junction, Utah, about 30 miles from the Colorado River. In February 2006 a final Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
met with United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
approval. The cost of the relocation was originally estimated to be $300 million dollars, but 2008 Department of Energy estimates are in excess of $720 million dollars.
The contract for the first transfer of the tailings has been awarded and the first relocation is expected to occur in late 2008. A series of works to extract and evaporate the water and ammonia from the pile before it reaches the Colorado River has been completed.
The location of the tailings pile is at 38.599727N,109.597612W http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.599727,-109.597612&aq=&sll=34.228552,-118.535957&sspn=0.194443,0.284271&ie=UTF8&ll=38.588967,-109.581757&spn=0.091911,0.142136&z=13
DOE Plan for re-location
The current United States Department of EnergyUnited States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
plan to move the tailings is contracted out to EnergySolutions who will haul the tailings from the current Atlas Uranium Mill site to the tiny town of Crescent Junction, Utah
Crescent Junction, Utah
Crescent Junction is a small unincorporated community within Grand County in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Utah. The community is located at above sea level. Most highway maps use the name Crescent Junction, as the name given to the junction of Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 191...
by railroad. This plan is based on the most current funding schedule which will provide for a complete removal by 2028.
A series of amendments to the Defense Authorization Act, sponsored by Rep. Jim Matheson are attempting to move the completion date to 2019. If these become law, the rate of removal would be doubled.
According to the current plan, huge "dirty" trucks will pull 40-ton containers filled with tailings to a structure that will be located between the talings and Potash Road. Once in the structure the containers would be covered by lids. A radiological survey verifies that they have no radioactive material on the outside, and the containers will then be hauled by "clean" trucks up to a railroad line to be placed on rail cars for the transportation to the disposal site near Crescent Junction. Dirty trucks will never travel to the clean side of the lidding structure, and clean trucks will never be on the dirty side.
Once at Crescent Junction the process will be reversed, with the exception that the tailings will be dumped out of end gates rather than from the top to minimize dust as well as prevent contamination to the outside containers. A knife-edge seal will be employed to ensure no materials dribble out of the end gates during the transfer.
Six clean trucks will make 22 to 23 loops per day, on a 21.2-minute cycle, between the lidding area and the rail line. About 136 containers will be transported daily with a four-day per week schedule.
An overpass is to be built across Potash Road so haul trucks will never encounter highway traffic.
Rail shipments began in April 2009. The clean trucks were replaced by the rail line, with the containers still needed to be lidded as before. On March 3, 2010, the Department of Energy announced it had shipped one million tons of tailings.