ABSTRACT
Uranium and radium daughter products present potential exposure risks in abandoned or inoperative open pit waters and water filled tailings ponds. Wildlife, livestock and even human exposure have been documented as problematic throughout parts of Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. While backfilling and capping such impoundments reduces direct exposure risk, slugs of impacted groundwater can degrade aquifer water quality and discharge radionuclides to surface waters.
Water treatment is time consuming and economically prohibitive under current uranium economics. While this situation may change, the technical practicability of alternative stabilization technologies bears consideration. In an effort to optimize costs, the utilization of other mine wastes and tailings has been evaluated as a stabilization medium. Specifically, tests are being conducted through the support of the Abandoned Mine Lands Department (AML) of Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) utilizing phosphate and coal waste and tailings. The Wyoming mining industry is being encouraged to participate in the pilottesting phase. The nature of this research will initially focus on phosphate and coal tailings that are considered disposal problems at abandoned mines. This investigation will involve a statewide characterization of the uranium problem in pitwaters, column and settling testing results, and plans for pilot testing at impacted, open pits. The presentation will focus on Phase I data interpretation.
