Removal of uranium contamination at an UMTRA Project site

The Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project was created by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to monitor the cleanup of uranium mill tailings, a by-product of the uranium concentration process that poses risks to the public health and environment. The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act passed by Congress in 1978 gave the DOE the authority to regulate tailings disposal sites and shifted disposal practices to more engineered designs.

Background

Uranium tailings are the waste material produced from the process of uranium milling which converts mined uranium ore into uranium concentrate, also known as yellowcake uranium. They are initially produced in a slurry material before being deposited in settling ponds and drying into a sand-like material. These tailings make up the large quantity of the uranium originally mined, with only 2.4 pounds of concentrated yellowcake uranium for every 2,000 pounds of uranium ore used in the process.[1]

Uranium milling from 1947 to 1971 largely supported nuclear weapon development and naval reactors, producing 20-35 million pounds of uranium concentrate annually in that period. Production after 1971 supported civilian nuclear power which saw an increase as 59 nuclear reactors came online between 1970 and 1979 but then a decrease to only four million pounds of uranium concentrate in 2000.[1]

Implementation

In 1978 the US Congress passed the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) which was tasked the DOE with the responsibility of stabilizing, disposing, and controlling uranium mill tailings and other contaminated material at uranium mill processing spread across 10 states and at approximately 5,200 associated properties.[2] Under UMTRCA, the DOE created UMTRA to decommission 24 uranium mills and dispose of their residual mill tailings.[3] These are typically stored in an engineered disposal cell, described in the 1995 40 CFR 192 (60 FR 2854). designed to reduce groundwater contamination, as well as withstanding precipitation and flood events, withstanding "maximum credible earthquakes", and preferably having a design lifespan of 1000 years. The covers are also designed to substantially reduce radon gas emission. The disposal cells are located at the mill site or within 5 miles, if possible.[4][5]


References

  1. ^ a b Larson, Lance N. “Long-Term Federal Management of Uranium Mill Tailings: Background and Issues for Congress.” Congressional Research Service, 22 Feb. 2021, Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  2. ^ "Fact Sheet on Uranium Mill Tailings". US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Fact Sheets. 2006. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
  3. ^ "Uranium Mill Sites Under the UMTRA Project". Energy Information Administration Independent Statistics and Analysis. 1999. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  4. ^ "UMTRCA Disposal Cell Site Selection Process (Document No. S15077)" (PDF). nrc.gov. July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  5. ^ "40 CFR Part 192: Proposed Rulemaking and Background Documents | US EPA". US EPA. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
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