Cleanup Planned for Largest Abandoned Uranium Mine on Navajo Nation

"SANTA FE -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a plan for the clean up of the largest and highest priority abandoned uranium mine on the Navajo Nation."



"Cleanup of the Northeast Church Rock Mine will include removal of some 1.4 million tons of soil contaminated with radium and uranium from a site that was operated as a uranium ore mine by United Nuclear Corporation from 1967 to 1982.

Located near Gallup, New Mexico, mine adjoins the United Nuclear Corporation uranium mill site, a Superfund site managed jointly by EPA Region 6 and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. At the request of the Navajo Nation, the EPA is using Superfund authority to investigate and clean up the contaminated mine site, in coordination with the existing adjacent Superfund site clean up."

Environment News Service had the story September 29, 2011.

Source: ENS, 09/30/2011