Engineering assessment of inactive uranium mill tailings: Maybell Site, Maybell, Colorado
Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah Inc. has reevaluated the Maybell site in order to revise the October 1977 engineering assessment of the problems resulting from the existence of radioactive uranium mill tailings at Maybell, Colorado. 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 2.6 million dry tons of tailings at the Maybell site constitutes the most significant environmental impact, although windblown tailings and external gamma radiation also are factors. The two alternative actions presented in this engineering assessment range from millsite decontamination with the addition of 3 m of stabilization cover material (Option I), to disposal of the tailings in a nearby open pit mine and decontamination of the tailings site (Option II). Cost estimates for the two options are about $11,700,000 for stabilization in-place and about $22,700,000 for disposal within a distance of 2 mi. Three principal alternatives for the reprocessing of the Maybell 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 $125 and $165/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 is not economically attractive at present.
- Research Organization:
- Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah, Inc., Salt Lake City (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76GJ01658
- OSTI ID:
- 6040772
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/UMT-0116; FBDU-360-11; ON: DE82003541; TRN: 82-000156
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COLORADO
MILL TAILINGS
DECONTAMINATION
RADIATION MONITORING
STABILIZATION
ABANDONED SITES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
DOSE COMMITMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FORECASTING
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROLOGY
LAND USE
LEACHING
MAPS
METEOROLOGY
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADON
RECYCLING
TOPOGRAPHY
URANIUM OXIDES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CLEANING
DISSOLUTION
DOSES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
MANAGEMENT
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
RARE GASES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
052000* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Management
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
510301 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)