Editorial: It’s time to clean up old uranium site

Thursday, March 25, 1999 | 10:34 a.m.

The Sun's Mary Manning reported Tuesday that so far the polluted plume is just two miles downstream from the site in Moab, but it eventually could affect water quality downstream. The Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group, contends that uranium is leaking from this site into the Colorado River at rates significantly above the federal radiation limit. Atlas, the company that owns the mine, wants permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to cap the pile of uranium where it now sits at a projected cost of $15 million. Others, though, believe this won't adequately contain the toxic substances. Instead, they advocate cleaning up the site. The Energy Department estimates it could cost as much as $100 million to completely move the toxic pile.

There has been much controversy about how to remedy this situation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists originally suggested moving the uranium mill tailings, but the U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission rebuked this initial finding. Shortly afterward, the Fish and Wildlife Service reversed course and agreed with the NRC.

Legislation has been introduced in the House, which has the backing of Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nevada, that would require the site's cleanup. Congress should approve the cleanup and remove this potential danger to the millions who rely on the Colorado River as their source of drinking water.