Summary of the engineering assessment of inactive uranium mill tailings: Monument Valley site, Monument Valley, Arizona
Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah Inc. has reevaluated the Monument Valley site in order to revise the March 1977 engineering assessment of the problems resulting from the existence of radioactive uranium mill tailings at Monument Valley, Arizona. 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 1.1 million tons of tailings at the Monument Valley site constitutes the most significant environmental impact, although windblown tailings and external gamma radiation also are factors. The four alternative actions presented in this engineering assessment range from millsite decontamination with the addition of 3 m of stabilization cover material to removal of the tailings to remote disposal sites and decontamination of the tailings site. Cost estimates for the four options range from about $6,600,000 for stabilization in-place, to about $15,900,000 for disposal at a distance of about 15 mi. Three principal alternatives for reprocessing the Monument Valley tailings were examined: heap leaching, treatment at an existing mill; and reprocessing at a new conventional mill constructed for tailings reprocessing. The cost of the uranium recovered would be more than $500/lb of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ by heap leach or conventional plant processes. The spot market price for uranium was $25/lb early in 1981. Therefore, reprocessing the tailings for uranium recovery is economically unattractive.
- Research Organization:
- Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah, Inc., Salt Lake City (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76GJ01658
- OSTI ID:
- 6040336
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/UMT-0117S; FBDU-360-04S; ON: DE82004170; TRN: 82-000184
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
MILL TAILINGS
LAND RECLAMATION
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
STABILIZATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADON
RADIATION MONITORING
ARIZONA
DECONTAMINATION
HEALTH HAZARDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
RECOVERY
URANIUM ORES
URANIUM OXIDES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CLEANING
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HAZARDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MANAGEMENT
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ORES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
RARE GASES
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WESTERN REGION
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
510500 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)
510300 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
510200 - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)