Summary of the engineering assessment of inactive uranium mill tailings, Riverton Site, Riverton, Wyoming
Ford, Bacon, and Davis Utah Inc. has reevaluated the Riverton site in order to revise the December 1977 engineering assessment of the problems resulting from the existence of radioactive uranium mill tailings at Riverton, Wyoming. This engineering assessment has included the preparation of topographic maps, the performance of core drillings and radiometric measurements sufficient to determine areas and volumes of tailings and radiation exposures of individuals and nearby populations, the investigations of site hydrology and meteorology, and the evaluation and costing of alternative corrective actions. Radon gas released from the 900,000 tons of tailings materials at the Riverton site constitutes the most significant environmental impact, although windblown tailings and external gamma radiation also are factors. The nine alternative actions presented in this engineering assessment range from millsite decontamination with the addition of 3 m of stabilization cover material (Option I), to removal of the tailings to remote disposal sites and decontaminations of the tailings site (Options II through IX). Cost estimates for the nine options range from about $16,600,000 for stabilization in-place, to about $23,200,000 for disposal at a distance of 18 to 25 mi. Three principal alternatives for the reprocessing of the Riverton tailings were examined: (a) heap leaching; (b) treatment at an existing mill; and (c) reprocessing at a new conventional mill constructed for tailings reprocessing. The cost of the uranium recovered would be about $260 and $230/lb of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ by heap leach and conventional plant processes respectively. The spot market price for uranium was $25/lb early in 1981. Therefore, reprocessing the tailings for uranium recovery does not appear to be economically attractive.
- Research Organization:
- Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah, Inc., Salt Lake City (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76GJ01658
- OSTI ID:
- 6212886
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/UMT-0106S; FBDU-360-19S; ON: DE82000816; TRN: 81-017172
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ABANDONED SITES
DECONTAMINATION
RISK ASSESSMENT
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
MILL TAILINGS
STABILIZATION
CONTAMINATION
COST
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GAMMA RADIATION
GEOGRAPHY
GROUND WATER
HUMAN POPULATIONS
LAND USE
METEOROLOGY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVITY
RADON
RECOVERY
SOILS
SURFACE WATERS
URANIUM OXIDES
WYOMING
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CLEANING
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
RADIATIONS
RARE GASES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
290600 - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy