Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 6): United Nuclear Corporation, Mckinley County, New Mexico, ground-water operable unit (first remedial action) September 1988

Technical Report · Fri Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:5624608

The United Nuclear Corporation (UNC) site is located approximately 17 miles northeast of Gallup, New Mexico in McKinley County. The site operated as a State-licensed uranium mill facility from June 1977 to May 1982. It includes an ore-processing mill (about 25 acres) and an unlined tailings pond area (about 100 acres). In July 1979, approximately 23 million gallons of tailings and pond water were released to a nearby river as a result of a dam breach in the tailings pond area. The site damage was repaired; however, attention was focused on ground-water contamination resulting from tailings seepage. Nevertheless, the offsite migration of radionuclides and chemical constituents from uranium milling byproduct materials into the ground water, as well as to surface water and air, are still principal threats at the site. The remedial action will address onsite ground water contamination. Source control and onsite surface reclamation will be implemented under the direction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and integrated with this ground water operable unit. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the ground water are metals including arsenic, and radioactive substances including radium-226/228 and gross alpha. The selected remedial action for the site is included.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (USA). Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
• OSTI ID: 5624608
• Report Number(s): PB-89-206171/XAB; EPA/ROD/RO-6-88/044; TRN: 91-010854
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are not fully legible
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
GROUND WATER
WATER POLLUTION
MILL TAILINGS
WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SUPERFUND
REMEDIAL ACTION
URANIUM MINES
ARSENIC
COST ESTIMATION
METALS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIUM 226
RADIUM 228
SETTLING PONDS
SITE SURVEYS
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON 14 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MINES
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION LAWS
PONDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM ISOTOPES
SEMIMETALS
SOLID WASTES
SURFACE WATERS
TAILINGS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
052000* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Management
520600 - Environment
Aquatic- Regulations - (-1989)
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety