By Bruce Finley
The Denver Post
Posted: 09/16/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
State regulators have raised concerns about toxic waste, radiation and water supply at what would be the nation's first conventional uranium mill opened since the Cold War.
Heavy-metals waste from Energy Fuels Resources Corp.'s proposed uranium-processing in southwest Colorado would include arsenic, lead, molybdenum and cadmium. A failure to fully address handling of this potentially harmful material "is considered to be a major deficiency in the application," Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment regulators said in a recent request for information.
Beaches around waste impoundment ponds would be exposed to birds. "What are the risks to wildlife from exposed tailings beaches?" the request asks.
State regulators asserted that people at fences around Energy Fuels' 880-acre site could be exposed to radiation approaching a 25-millirem limit. "A projected dose that approaches a regulatory limit cannot be considered trivial," a CDPHE document said.
The Colorado Water Conservation Board is opposing Energy Fuels' filings to use water from the Dolores River. Energy Fuels has begun drilling wells to supply enough water to process 500 tons of uranium a day. But company officials say they may need additional water.
The proposed Piñon Ridge mill would crush uranium ore into a powder, then leach concentrated uranium from the ore using sulfuric acid. Most of the material would stay at the site in lined impoundment ponds.
Controlling radiation levels at the fence "may require additional cover" on the ponds," White said.
One option for protecting birds would be "hazing" — setting up motion detectors and noise-making cannons that would drive them away, said Frank Filas, environmental manager for the project.
State natural resources and company officials have launched a mediation process to address concerns about potential harm to Dolores River aquatic life, Filas said.
While the proposed mill has heightened local hopes of a return to Atomic Age prosperity, some residents oppose it.
Read more: Uranium-mill plan near Naturita raises concerns about toxic waste - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16087508#ixzz0zq7NZrDR
