By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune Editor
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 9:03 AM EST
A report funded by the Roanoke River Basin Association warns that a proposed uranium mining and milling project in Pittsylvania County could be a serious threat to water quality and may increase competition for water in the future.
The 39-page report, "Site-Specific Assessment of the Proposed Uranium Mining and Milling Project at Coles Hill, Pittsylvania County, Va.," was released Thursday.
It was written by Colorado scientist Robert E. Moran, PhD., who has 40 years of experience and served as a hydrogeological and water quality consultant to Marline Uranium and Union Carbide on the Coles Hill project in the early 1980s.
Moran also was the keynote speaker in October at workshops sponsored by the Roanoke River Basin Association in Danville and League for the Environment in Dry Fork.
According to the Roanoke River group, most of the information for Coles Hill was collected by the mining companies or consultants and contractors paid by Marline or Virginia Uranium.
Moran's study is one of the few reports on the potential impact of uranium mining not funded by the mining industry, the association noted.
It also pointed out Moran's report is "site-specific" to Coles Hill.
"Various aspects of uranium mining are expected to be addressed in the National Academy of Sciences report due on Dec. 1, 2011," said association executive director Andrew Lester.
"However, the statement of task for the NAS panel explicitly excludes site-specific assessments, which prompted the Roanoke River Basin Association to commission this report to assess risks and challenges associated with on-site water and waste management during the operations and post-closure," Lester said.
Olga Kolotushkina, an adviser to the Roanoke River Basin Association, agreed.
"Unfortunately, the company seeking to lift the existing ban has so far failed to present any sort of detailed project proposal in writing," she said.
"The verbally described plans have changed constantly, depending on the audience. Hence, we felt that an independent evaluation of the proposed project is needed."
Approximately 1.2 million people rely on the Roanoke River for drinking water downstream from Coles Hill.
Moran said the uranium mining industry's track record demonstrates that predictions on potential impacts on water resources and public health, as well as promised socioeconomic benefits, are "overly optimistic."
"The most powerful influences in any decision on uranium mining and processing are likely to be financial and political," he said.
"Thus, it is imperative that the public evaluate the long-term 'big picture' because the actual impacts will be paid for by numerous future generations."
Moran was asked to evaluate site- and project-specific risks and challenges posed by uranium mining and milling at Coles Hill.
"Most U.S. uranium mining sites that I visited are located in desert or semi-desert, sparsely populated regions," he said.
"The Coles Hill site is wet, with annual precipitation equal to about 42 inches. It's really quite different from isolated sites in the West.
"Most importantly, within a radius of two to three miles, Coles Hill has roughly 250 private wells, at least one dairy and numerous hay and forage fields, which are liable to be impacted," said Moran.
Read more:
http://www.wpcva.com/articles/2011/11/22/chatham/news/news43.txt
