La Sal Creek Watershed Project
San Juan County, Utah and Montrose County, Colorado
Western Water & Land personnel conducted an abandoned mine lands project addressing human-health and ecological risks associated with former operations at five abandoned uranium mines located within a portion of the La Sal Creek Watershed in eastern Utah and western Colorado.
Components of the project included planning document preparation, comprehensive site characterization, risk evaluation, and Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) document preparation. Planning documents include detailed Site Safety and Health Plan (SSHP), Conceptual Site Model (CSM), Field Sampling Plan (FSP), Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), and Community Relations Plan (CRP). Site characterization activities include cultural resource surveys and recordation and implementation of a comprehensive site investigation to obtain the information required to evaluate the primary exposure pathways identified in the CSM, assess human-health and ecological risks, and support development and analysis of potential removal action alternatives through implementation of the EE/CA process.
The characterization effort included collection and analysis of abiotic samples (surface water, soil, sediment, and mine waste rock), biotic samples (benthic macroinvertebrates, irrigated crops, garden produce, grasses, forbs, and shrubs), gamma-exposure surveys at each mine, and radon monitoring at the mines and within the homes of nearby residents. Three distinct reference areas were established to assess background conditions for the sampled media, gamma-exposure rates, and radon levels. Samples were analyzed for an extensive schedule of inorganic parameters, metals, and radionuclides. All work was conducted in accordance with the requirements and procedures specified at OSHA 1910.120.
Results of the characterization effort were used to perform a streamlined risk evaluation of the human-health and ecological threats posed by former operations at the mines. Analytical results were compared to specific risk-based benchmarks for the human-health and ecological receptors and exposure pathways identified in the CSM. The benchmarks used in the evaluation included state and federal standards and risk management criteria established by the BLM.
An EE/CA was performed to screen, develop, and evaluate potential removal action alternatives for reducing the human-health and ecological threats associated with the five mines. The EE/CA was developed in accordance with the procedures established by the EPA for non-time critical removal actions under CERCLA and the NCP. The EE/CA was completed in 2005 and issued for public comment in 2006.
San Juan County, Utah and Montrose County, Colorado
Western Water & Land personnel conducted an abandoned mine lands project addressing human-health and ecological risks associated with former operations at five abandoned uranium mines located within a portion of the La Sal Creek Watershed in eastern Utah and western Colorado.
Components of the project included planning document preparation, comprehensive site characterization, risk evaluation, and Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) document preparation. Planning documents include detailed Site Safety and Health Plan (SSHP), Conceptual Site Model (CSM), Field Sampling Plan (FSP), Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), and Community Relations Plan (CRP). Site characterization activities include cultural resource surveys and recordation and implementation of a comprehensive site investigation to obtain the information required to evaluate the primary exposure pathways identified in the CSM, assess human-health and ecological risks, and support development and analysis of potential removal action alternatives through implementation of the EE/CA process.
The characterization effort included collection and analysis of abiotic samples (surface water, soil, sediment, and mine waste rock), biotic samples (benthic macroinvertebrates, irrigated crops, garden produce, grasses, forbs, and shrubs), gamma-exposure surveys at each mine, and radon monitoring at the mines and within the homes of nearby residents. Three distinct reference areas were established to assess background conditions for the sampled media, gamma-exposure rates, and radon levels. Samples were analyzed for an extensive schedule of inorganic parameters, metals, and radionuclides. All work was conducted in accordance with the requirements and procedures specified at OSHA 1910.120.
Results of the characterization effort were used to perform a streamlined risk evaluation of the human-health and ecological threats posed by former operations at the mines. Analytical results were compared to specific risk-based benchmarks for the human-health and ecological receptors and exposure pathways identified in the CSM. The benchmarks used in the evaluation included state and federal standards and risk management criteria established by the BLM.
An EE/CA was performed to screen, develop, and evaluate potential removal action alternatives for reducing the human-health and ecological threats associated with the five mines. The EE/CA was developed in accordance with the procedures established by the EPA for non-time critical removal actions under CERCLA and the NCP. The EE/CA was completed in 2005 and issued for public comment in 2006.