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Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
Uravan Uranium Project
This site is one of the "Superfund" hazardous waste sites in
Colorado. A site qualifies for the National Priorities List (NPL or Superfund
list)
when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determines
there is a release or threatened release of hazardous substances
that may endanger public health, welfare or the environment. In
Colorado, the lead agency for Superfund remediation may be either
the EPA or the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment (CDPHE).
For questions or comments on the Uravan Uranium Project Site, contact:
Dan Scheppers
Remediation
Program Manager
(303) 692-3398
or (888) 569-1831 ext 3398 toll-free
Warren Smith
State Community Involvement Coordinator
(303) 692-3373
(888) 569-1831 ext 3373 toll-free
or
Frances Costanzi, P.E., EPA Remediation Project Manager
(303) 312-6571
Location
The site is located in the western portion of Montrose
County on Highway 141 approximately 13 miles northwest of the
Town of Nucla and 81 miles from the Town of Whitewater in Mesa
County. The town of Uravan no longer exists. The City of
Montrose is 115 miles away, and Grand Junction is
located 90 miles to the northeast. The site is located on the
bank of the San Miguel River, which drains into the Colorado
River.
History
The site began as a radium recovery plant in 1915 and
was expanded to include vanadium recovery in 1935. The plant
operated from the 1940's to 1984 as a uranium processing
facility. UMETCO, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical, has operated the
facility since 1984. The town of Uravan was established in 1935
to house workers and their families at the mill and mine
facilities. The town has since been evacuated and demolished.
The site was placed on the list of Superfund sites on June 6,
1986.
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Chemicals
A complex mixture of chemicals exists at the site.
The contaminants include radioactive products including
raffinates (liquid wastes from the uranium processing
operations), raffinate crystals (primarily ammonium sulfate
compounds), and mill tailings containing uranium and radium.
Other chemicals in the tailings and groundwater include heavy
metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, vanadium), thorium, and residual
salts.
Exposure
At the time reclamation began, the air at the site contained elevated levels of radon
gas from the tailings piles. These materials have since been relocated and
placed in covered containment cells. Soil surrounding the mill site and
groundwater contained radionuclides and heavy metals. Because no
one lives in the town of Uravan and the groundwater is not being
utilized, the human health risks are considerably limited.
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The State of Colorado completed a plan to cleanup the site in
1986. The cleanup plan was designed to control radon production
and the migration of heavy metals, thorium, and residual salts
from the site. Remediation included (1) securing nearly 10
million cubic yards of radioactive tailings in a disposal area
and capping/revegetating the area; (2) constructing a lined
disposal system for the radioactive crystals; (3) placing 1.5
million cubic yards of waste located adjacent to the San Miguel
River in a secure disposal area located away from the river; (4)
placing contaminated soil in an approved on-site repository;
(5) reclaiming and revegetating the land on the site; and (6) collection
and treatment of contaminated groundwater. In March 2000, the US Environmental
Protection Agency performed a 5-year review of the site as required by
law. The review concluded that remedial actions are being conducted in
accordance with the consent decree and remedial action plan, and that the
selected remedies remain effective in protecting human health and the
environment.
Present status:
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EPA is in the process of
completing another 5-year review.
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Cleanup has been completed; the tailings cells have been
closed and capped.
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Revegetation is ongoing.
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Post-colsure efforts to delist the Site from the National
Priorities List (NPL), and transfer the site to the
Department of Energy for Long-Term Stewardship are ongoing.
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The Radioactive Materials license issued by the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Enviornment is being revised
to reflect post-closure status.
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EPA Uravan Website
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