Moab Tailings....?

[Cody]

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12036469

Washington » The U.S. Energy Department will throw $108 million of federal stimulus money at the effort to clean up 16 million tons of uranium tailings on the banks of the Colorado River near southeastern Utah's Moab.

The extra funding is expected to fast-track the clean-up, moving up to 2 million more tons than previously scheduled to a permanent disposal site by 2011. That move will almost double the amount of tailings moved within two years to 4.5 million tons.

Energy officials are set to announce the funding this morning.

The tailings, left over from uranium mining in the early 1900s, are being move to halt chemicals from seeping into the Colorado River, which serves as a water source for more than 25 million people.

Previous estimates said the cost to move the tailings by 2019 some 30 miles to Crescent Junction for disposal could cost up to $1 billion.

Is this the big pile that is on the right as you come into town? That would be nice to see it go away. Maybe put a golf course there....

 

[Greg]

Yep, I do believe that's it. Union Pacific will be hauling it out, right now they're dumping millions into the track that runs that way to make train travel safer while moving the contaminated dirt.

 

[Cody]

Nice. I always thought that was a landfill, but either way it will be a good to get rid of that eye sore

 

[rkillpack]

That pile is the Atlas tailings site. It was scheduled as a 10 year clean up with the material being transfered to crescent junction. The material is going to be disposed of in above ground cells, much the same way EnergySolution's Clive disposal facility does.

There were some snags in the cleanup schedule from the past two years but they hope the stimulus boost will put things back on schedule.

 

[Brett]

Nice. I always thought that was a landfill, but either way it will be a good to get rid of that eye sore

Trust me, it's no where near the eye sore it was when the plant was there

 

[Cody]

Trust me, it's no where near the eye sore it was when the plant was there

I trust no hippie.

 

[Brett]

I trust no hippie.

 

[TimB]

Waste of money, IMO. Should have built an amusement park on it and studied the customers to see what effects - if any.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Waste of money, IMO. Should have built an amusement park on it and studied the customers to see what effects - if any.

I like your thinking Tim

 

[greenjeep]

Waste of money, IMO. Should have built an amusement park on it and studied the customers to see what effects - if any.

TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Waste of money to make stupid greenie politicians feel like they are making a difference. It's a hell of a lot more likely to have adverse health effects as they stir it up and let the long buried contaminants become airborne and blow into town! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID IDEA!!

Give the $180 million to the state schools who are facing a 17% budget cut for next year!!

LEAVE THE PILE ALONE!!!!!!!!

 

[rkillpack]

I cannot comment on the school defecit, but the Atlas pile has been leaking contamination in minute quantites into the colorado river. That is why it was pushed to the front of government cleanup projects.

The general populus consistantly looks at contamination as the eighth deadly sin. The DOE therefore, to save any public opinion they could, acted.

If you were to look at the environmental monitoring requirements for a site like that, you would see that they test for airborne contaminants at fence lines, and have procedures in place to monitor personnel etc. for release.

Realistically the chance of a release getting off site because of current opperations is zero.

Having said my piece, I hope they still entertain the amusement park idea.

 

[jmaxj]

i think it should stay, everytime i've gone to moab for the past 29yrs it has become a landmark to me, i'll miss it.