The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events
The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events
The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events
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Sessi<strong>on</strong> 43-45 Abstracts<br />
Canada and Saskatchewan are now funding the clean-up of these aband<strong>on</strong>ed northern uranium mine and mill sites and have c<strong>on</strong>tracted<br />
the management of the project to the Saskatchewan Research Council. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> clean-up activity is expected to take about 8<br />
years, followed by 10-15 years of m<strong>on</strong>itoring activity before the sites are to be released into an instituti<strong>on</strong>al c<strong>on</strong>trols program that<br />
will allow government oversight of a l<strong>on</strong>g term management and m<strong>on</strong>itoring program. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Gunnar site, because of the magnitude<br />
of tailings and waste rock, is subject to an envir<strong>on</strong>mental site assessment process regulated by both provincial and federal governments.<br />
This process requires a detailed study of the projected envir<strong>on</strong>mental impacts resulting from the mining activities and an<br />
analysis of projected impacts from remediati<strong>on</strong> efforts. Prescribed envir<strong>on</strong>mental and land use endpoints will be made based <strong>on</strong> the<br />
envir<strong>on</strong>mental assessment studies and remediati<strong>on</strong> opti<strong>on</strong>s analyzed and implemented based <strong>on</strong> expected results. Remediati<strong>on</strong><br />
opti<strong>on</strong>s range from deep lake disposal of tailings to disposal of tailings in the open pit which is now filled with water and fish (c<strong>on</strong>taminated,<br />
but which are reproducing successfully) to covering the tailings with a cap.<br />
5) SUSTAINABLE COVERS FOR URANIUM MILL TAILINGS, USA: ALTERNATIVE<br />
DESIGN, PERFORMANCE, AND RENOVATION - 16369<br />
William J. Waugh, S.M. Stoller Corporati<strong>on</strong> (USA); Craig H. Bens<strong>on</strong>, University of Wisc<strong>on</strong>sin-Madis<strong>on</strong> (USA);<br />
William H. Albright, Desert Research Institute (USA)<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management is investigating alternatives to c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al cover designs for<br />
uranium mill tailings. A cover c<strong>on</strong>structed in 2000 near M<strong>on</strong>ticello, Utah, USA, was a redundant design with a c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al lowc<strong>on</strong>ductivity<br />
composite cover overlain with an alternative cover designed to mimic the natural soil water balance as measured in<br />
nearby undisturbed native soils and vegetati<strong>on</strong>. To limit percolati<strong>on</strong>, the alternative cover design relies <strong>on</strong> a 160-cm layer of sandy<br />
clay loam soil overlying a 40-cm sand capillary barrier for water storage, and a planting of native sagebrush steppe vegetati<strong>on</strong> to<br />
seas<strong>on</strong>ally release soil water through evapotranspirati<strong>on</strong> (ET). Water balance m<strong>on</strong>itoring within a 3.0-ha drainage lysimeter, embedded<br />
in the cover during c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong>, provided c<strong>on</strong>vincing evidence that the cover has performed well over a 9-year period<br />
(20002009). <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> total cumulative percolati<strong>on</strong>, 4.8 mm (approximately 0.5 mm yr-1), satisfied a regulatory goal of