Hurricane Fran, 1996
Comment: Great Article, No to Uranium Mining and Milling!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:48 AM EST
By Nicholas Elmes
A $437,000 study being conducted by the city of Virginia Beach, Va. will examine what might happen to the water quality in Lake Gaston and Kerr Lake if a proposed uranium mine in Chatham, Va. were struck by a Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) storm.
"The state is attempting to get a study going through the National Academy of Science," said Virginia Beach Director of Public Works Thomas Leahy. "But that study will not look at site specific issues or do any modeling of possible catastrophic events."
Leahy said the study being conducted by Virginia Beach is designed to supplement the work of the National Academy of Science by looking at what would happen if a major storm flooded the proposed uranium mining site and washed radioactive materials downstream.
The study focuses on PMP storms, a theoretical storm that produces the greatest depth of precipitation for a given duration that is physically possible in a particular geographical location.
"PMP storms, while not common, can occur on the eastern ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it is very important that somebody model this type of storm," Leahy said. "Our study will model the transport of large quantities of mill tailing downstream and attempt to assess where they would end up and what they would do to the water quality.
"I have no idea what finding will come back. It is conceivable that because Kerr is so large it may raise the water radiation but not by a significant amount. If the study came back and said nothing would happen, that would be a cause of relief for Virginia Beach."
But Leahy said the concern is that such a catastrophic event, should it occur, could raise the water radiation level in the lake significantly enough to force Virginia Beach to stop using it as a water source, a move that could cost the city over $500 million.
Roanoke River Basin Association Vice President Gene Addesso said the study would help provide clarity on possible risks users of the lakes may face.
"The Roanoke River Basin Association, The Dan River Basin Association, Southside Virginia citizens and other groups are all monitoring the issue and uranium mining activities," he said.
"Most of us, if not all, agree that the Academy of Sciences Study will not specifically answer the question of whether or not uranium mining can be done safely at the specific Cole Hills, Va. site in the topology of Southern Virginia. It is too general and not site specific. The Virginia Beach study will supplement the Academy work I hope.
"People in Mecklenburg and anywhere south of the proposed site should and need to be aware of the issue.
What is required are non-biased, scientifically sound studies to answer the question of environmental safety to not only water quality but to people in the environment.
Then the boards, commissions and legislators need to do due diligence with the data before lifting any moratorium. I hear from people who are concerned the process will not be objective and that money and power will prevail. I sincerely hope that will not happen."
The Virginia Beach study is being conducted by engineering firm Michael Baker Corp. and is expected to be completed by August or September.
"The study is designed as a Phase One and a Phase Two," Addesso said. "Phase One is a simple look so we can get a reasonable picture at a reasonable cost. If the outcome is nothing to worry about then it ends."
But if the results indicate there may be some threat then a much more detailed and more expensive study would be required. Leahy said if that were the case Virginia Beach may look to other localities affected, like Norfolk or Chesapeake or maybe even lake area counties, to help cover expenses of further studies.
" Right now, though, a lot of people are looking to Virginia Beach to provide this kind of analysis," he said, noting that many smaller rural communities did not have the budget to take on such a large study. "But this is an element we think is incredibly important to be done. This is to provide a piece of the puzzle that the National Academy study will not, by its nature, address."
Virginia has had a moratorium on uranium mining since 1982.
Nicholas Elmes is editor of the South Hill Enterprise in South Hill, Va.
Read more:
http://www.vancnews.com/articles/2010/01/21/warrenton/news/news54.txt
