For Immediate Release: November 17, 2011
Contact: Olga Kolotushkina, 202-641-7835, oolukas@yahoo.com
Dr. Robert Moran, 303-526-1405, 303-358-8720
Proposed Uranium Project: Degradation of Water Quality and Increased Water Competition, Report Finds
Danville, VA – Today, the Roanoke River Basin Association (RRBA) released a site-specific report finding that the proposed uranium mining and milling project at Coles Hill in Pittsylvania County , VA would cause long-term, chronic degradation of water quality and increase water competition in the region. The report was prepared by Dr. Robert Moran, who has more than thirty-nine years of domestic and international experience in conducting and managing water quality, geochemical and hydrogeologic work for private investors, industrial clients, tribal and citizens groups, NGO’s, law firms, and governmental agencies at all levels. In the early 1980s, Dr. Moran was on the team conducting environmental studies on water quality and hydrogeology for Marline Uranium and Union Carbide.
Coles Hill that is located in the Roanoke River Basin watershed would host the first uranium mine and mill on the East Coast if the Virginia General Assembly lifts the existing ban on uranium mining in the Commonwealth. All of the publicly-available technical data and information for the Coles Hill proposed operations were collected by the mining companies or by consultants / contractors paid by these companies. Most of the publicly-available opinions on future impacts that might result from such operations also come from the companies or their paid contractors. This report is one of the few reports on potential impacts of proposed uranium mining in Virginia that has not been funded by the industry.
“Various aspects of uranium mining are expected to be addressed in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report due on December 1, 2011. However, the statement of task for the NAS panel explicitly excludes site-specific assessments, which prompted the RRBA to commission this report to assess risks and challenges associated with on-site water and waste management during the operations and post-closure.,” said Andrew Lester, executive director of RRBA.
“Unfortunately, the company seeking to lift the existing ban has so far failed to present any sort of detailed project proposal, in writing. The verbally-described plans have changed constantly, depending on the audience. Hence, we felt that an independent evaluation of the proposed project is needed,” explained Olga Kolotushkina, RRBA advisor.
Dr. Moran was tasked with evaluating site and project-specific risks and challenges the proposed uranium mining and milling project will pose for the region. The report identifies waste rock, uranium mill tailings, mine dewatering, and the use of explosives as potential sources of significant water contamination.
The report finds that the project as proposed may generate at least 28 million tons of solid uranium mill tailings and roughly the same amount of liquid waste. The solid wastes would remain on site forever, requiring maintenance forever. Uranium mill tailings would contain radionuclides, heavy metals and other toxic elements. Undiluted tailings liquids may contain 1160 to 1460 times the existing Safe Drinking Water Act standard for uranium.
The report also finds a potentially significant impact on the water availability in the region. According to the report findings, as proposed, the Coles Hill project would require over 5 billion gallons of water. During the start-up period, the project would use at least 525.6 million gallons per year. The company’s documents have failed to identify the sources of this water.
The report also finds a potentially significant impact on groundwater. “Seepage of acidic water and other chemicals should be the main concern,” warns Dr. Moran. The report also cautions that the confirmed presence of sulfides in the Coles Hill rock raises the possibility that long-term, active water treatment may be required, in perpetuity.
“Most U.S. uranium mining sites that I visited are located in desert or semi-desert, sparsely-populated regions. The Coles Hill site is wet, with annual precipitation equal to about 42 inches. Most importantly, within a radius of 2 to 3 miles, Coles Hill has roughly 250 private wells, at least one dairy and numerous hay / forage fields, which are liable to be impacted,” said Dr. Moran.
“The main takeaway from this report for the communities is that all such large-scale uranium projects involve trade-offs, usually some short-term jobs, etc. in exchange for long-term impacts (environmental, socioeconomic, etc.), most of which are paid by future generations. Thus, many of the long-term costswill be subsidized by the public,” said Dr. Moran.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Roanoke River Basin Association’s mission is to promote development, use, preservation and enhancement of the resources of the Basin in the best interests of present and future generations of Basin residents. RRBA believes that basin resource conservation can co-exist with managed economic growth. Contact: Andrew Lester, Executive Director, Roanoke River Basin Association, P.O. Box 10548 , Danville , VA 24543 . Website: www.rrba.org
