Baseline risk assessment of groundwater contamination at the Uranium Mill Tailings Site near Gunnison, Colorado

Technical Report · Wed Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10112209· OSTI ID:10112209

This Baseline Risk Assessment of Groundwater Contamination at the Uranium Mill Tailings Site Near Gunnison, Colorado evaluates potential impacts to public health or the environment resulting from groundwater contamination at the former uranium mill processing site. The tailings and other contaminated material at this site are being placed in an off-site disposal cell by the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. Currently, the UMTRA Project is evaluating groundwater contamination. This is the second risk assessment of groundwater contamination at this site. The first risk assessment was performed primarily to evaluate existing domestic wells. This risk assessment evaluates the most contaminated monitor wells at the processing site. It will be used to assist in determining what remedial action is needed for contaminated groundwater at the site after the tailings are relocated. This risk assessment follows an approach outlined by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The first step is to evaluate groundwater data collected from monitor wells at the site. Evaluation of these data showed that the main contaminants in the groundwater are cadmium, cobalt, iron, manganese, sulfate, uranium, and some of the products of radioactive decay of uranium.

• Research Organization: Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-91AL62350
• OSTI ID: 10112209
• Report Number(s): DOE/AL/62350--57D; ON: DE94004831; BR: EW2010102/EX2040010
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

054000
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220
540230
ABANDONED SITES
CADMIUM
CHEMICALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
COBALT
COLORADO
CONTAMINATION
DAUGHTER PRODUCTS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
GROUND WATER
HEALTH AND SAFETY
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
IRON
MANGANESE
MILL TAILINGS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
REMEDIAL ACTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
SULFATES
URANIUM