Engineering assessment of inactive uranium mill tailings, Tuba City site, Tuba City, Arizona. Phase II, Title I
Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah Inc. has performed an engineering assessment of the problems resulting from the existence of radioactive uranium mill tailings at the Tuba City millsite in Arizona. The Phase II, Title I services include the preparation of topographic maps, the performance of core drillings and radiometric measurements sufficient to determine areas and volumes of tailings and other radium-contaminated materials, the evaluation of resulting radiation exposures of individuals residing nearby, the investigation of site hydrology and meteorology and the evaluation and costing of alternative corrective actions. Radon gas release from the tailings on the site constitutes the most significant environmental impact to the inhabited area near the site. In the downwind direction, to the northeast of the site, airborne radioactivity is greater than Federal guidelines but there are no dwellings in that direction in the area of concern. Gamma radiation is significant over the tailings but is near background levels in the housing area. The sparse population and relatively low radiation levels yield minimal immediate environmental impact; hence, the four alternative actions presented are directed towards restricting access to the site (Option I), and returning the windblown tailings to the pile and stabilizing the pile with cover material (Options II, III, and IV). Fencing around the site or the tailings pile and the removal or decontamination of mill buildings is included in all options. Option II provides 2 ft of cover material on the tailings, Option III provides 4 ft of cover, and Option IV provides 13 ft of cover. Costs of the options range from $671,000 to $2,904,000. Reprocessing the tailings for uranium is only marginally feasible and would require a more detailed economic evaluation before any action was taken.
- Research Organization:
- Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah, Inc., Salt Lake City (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-C-13-1658
- OSTI ID:
- 5386261
- Report Number(s):
- GJT-5; TRN: 78-001419
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ARIZONA
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
MILL TAILINGS
URANIUM ORES
ORE PROCESSING
COST
DRILL CORES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
GAMMA RADIATION
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROLOGY
MAPS
METEOROLOGY
RADIATION DOSES
RADON
TOPOGRAPHY
DOSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MANAGEMENT
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORES
POPULATIONS
PROCESSING
RADIATIONS
RARE GASES
SOLID WASTES
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
050400 - Nuclear Fuels- Feed Processing
510301 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)