Groundwater Discharge Permit
Uranium Mine, Utah

In support of the re-development of a uranium mine in southeastern Utah, Western Water & Land prepared a Groundwater Discharge Permit that was submitted to the Utah Division of Water Quality, Department of Environmental Quality. The permit was needed to meet DEQ requirements for withdrawal and treatment groundwater during mine dewatering. WWL designed and supervised the installation of several “sentry” monitoring wells for a baseline monitoring of the proposed water treatment facility. Preparation of the permit included a complete hydrologic description of the mine site including known hydrogeologic conditions (aquifer characteristics and water quality). Stratigraphy relevant to the report ranges from the Quaternary-age surface soils and colluvium, through the underlying Cretaceous-age Dakota Sandstone and Burro Canyon Formations, and the Jurassic-age Brushy Basin and Salt Wash members of the Morrison Formation. Other plans included in the application were Groundwater Discharge Control Plan, Compliance Monitoring Plan, Closure and Post Closure Plan, and a Contingency and Corrective Action Plan. The application was accepted and approved by UDEQ.