DOE/EIS-0355 Remediation of the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings, Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah, Final Environmental Impact Statement (July 2005)

Summary

Cover
Cover Sheet
Table of Contents
Acronyms
Summary

Volume 1

Cover
Cover Sheet
Table of Contents
Acronyms
Measurements and Conversions
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Description of Proposed Alternative Actions *
    Section 2.2 Off-Site Disposal Alternative
    Section 2.3 Ground Water at the Moab Site
    Section 2.4 - Section 2.7
    Section 2.8 References
Chapter 3 Affected Environment *
    Section 3.2 Klondike Flats Site
    Section 3.3 - Section 3.4
    Section 3.5 Borrow Areas
    Section 3.6 References
Chapter 4 Environmental Consequences
Chapter 5 Cumulative Impacts
Chapter 6 Unavoidable Impacts, Short-Term Uses and Long Term Productivity, and Irreversible or Irretrievable Commitment of Resources
Chapter 7 Regulatory Requirements
Chapter 8 List of Preparers and Disclosure Statement
Chapter 9 List of Agencies, Organizations, and Individuals Receiving Copies of the EIS
Chapter 10 Glossary
Chapter 11 Index

Volume 2

Cover
Table of Contents
Appendix A Biological Assessment/Screening Level Risk Assessment/Biological Opinion *
    Appendix A1-1.0 - A1-3.0
    Appendix A1-4.0 Description of the Proposed Action
    Appendix A1-5.0 Description of Project Areas
    Appendix A1-7.0 Analysis for Aquatic Species
    Appendix A1-8.0 Analysis for Terrestrial Species
    Appendix A1-9.0 Determinations and Conclusions
    Appendix A1-10.0 List of Contributors, Preparers, and Contacts
Appendix A2 Screening of Contaminants to Aquatic and Terrestrial Resources
Appendix A3 Biological Opinion*
    Appendix A3 Continued
    Appendix A3 Continued
Appendix B Assumed Disposal Cell Cover Conceptual Design and Construction
Appendix C Slurry Pipeline Route Maps
Appendix D Human Health
Appendix E Evaluation of Disposal of Moab Tailings in Salt Caverns Within the Paradox Formation*
    Appendix E - Attachment 1
Appendix F Floodplain and Wetlands Assessment and Floodplain Statement of Findings for Remedial Action at the Moab Site
Appendix G White Mesa Mill Operations
Appendix H Transportation Impact Analysis

Volume 3

Volume 4

Cover
Table of Contents
Acronyms
Chapter 4 Responses
    Document Numbers S1 - 573
    Document Numbers 574 - 598
    Document Numbers 602 - 684
    Document Numbers 689 - 699
    Document Numbers 706 - 1503
Chapter 5 References

Tables and Figures

Table 2-19 Average Annual Equipment Requirements - Truck Transportation Mode
Table 2-20 Average Annual Equipment Requirements - Rail Transpiration Mode
Table 2-32 Summary and Comparison of Impacts
Table 2-33 Consequences of Uncertainty
Table 2-35 Estimated Lifetime Costs of Analyzed Disposal Alternative
Table 3-12 Sensitive Plant Species That May Occur in the Vicinity of the Moab Site
Table 3-15 Annual Average Daily Traffic, Road Congestion, Truck Percent, and Highway Accidents for US 191 and I-70 in 2001
Table 3-17 Population and Labor Force Information for Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah
Table 3-23 Soil Types and Properties at the Klondike Flats Site
Table 3-24 Characteristics of Potential Vegetation on the Various Soil Types at the Klondike Flats Site
Table 3-26 Sensitive Plant Species Potentially Occurring in the Klondike Flats Site Area
Table 3-27 State-Listed Animal Species That May Occur in the Vicinity of the Klondike Flats Site
Table 3-30 Soil Types and Properties at the Crescent Junction Site
Table 3-31 Vegetation Characteristics on the Various Soil Types in the Crescent Junction Site
Table 3-32 Federally Listed Threatened or Endangered Species Potentially Occurring in the Vicinity of the Crescent Junction Site
Table 3-33 Sensitive Plan Species Potentially Occurring in the Vicinity of the Crescent Junction Site
Table 3-34 State-Listed Animal Species That May Occur in the Vicinity of the Crescent Junction Site
Table 3-35 Sensitive Bird Species Protected Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act That May Occur Near the Crescent Junction Site
Table 3-37 Soil Types and Properties at the White Mesa Mill Site
Table 3-41 Monitoring Results for Surface Water Samples Collected from Cottonwood Creek and Westwater Creek near the White Mesa Mill Site
Table 3-43 Community Structure Parameters of the White Mesa Mill Site Plant Communities
Table 3-45 Sensitive Plan Species Potentially Occurring in the White Mesa Mill Site Vicinity
Table 3-46 State-Listed Wildlife Species That May Occur In the Vicinity of the White Mesa Site
Table 3-49 White Mesa Site - Summary of Cultural Sites by Type
Table 3-52 Sensitive Plan Species Potentially Occurring in the Vicinity of the Pipeline Corridor
Table 3-53 State-Listed Animal Species That May Occur in the Vicinity of the Pipeline Corridor
Table 3-54 Sensitive Bird Species Protected Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act That May Occur Near the Pipeline Corridor
Table 4-3 Predicted Ammonia Concentrations in the Ground Water Adjacent to the Colorado River Resulted From the On-Site Disposal Alternative
Table 4-8 Remediation Costs
Table 4-15 Future Potential Risk for the On-site Disposal Alternative
Table 4-52 Impacts at Anticipated Borrow Areas
Table 4-54 Future Potential Risks Under the No Action Alternative

Figure S-1 Locations of the Moab Site in Grand County, Utah
Figure S-2 Locations of the Moab Site in Relation to the City of Moab
Figure S-6 Maximum Number of Potentially Affected Cultural Resources
Figure S-7 Minimum Number of Potentially Affected Traditional Cultural Properties
Figure S-9 Total Fuel Consumption
Figure S-10 Daily Potable Water Consumption
Figure S-11 Total Nonpotable Water Consumption
Figure S-12 Sanitary Waste Generation
Figure S-14 Annual Costs and Benefits
Figure S-15 Generation of New Direct and Indirect Jobs
Figure S-16 Latent Cancer Fatalities Among Workers
Figure S-17 Public Latent Cancer Fatalities (Excluding Vicinity Property Exposure)
Figure S-20 Increase in Truck Traffic in Downtown Moab
Figure S-21 Increase in Truck Traffic on US-191
Figure S-23 Borrow Areas
Figure 2-1 Schedule of Activities for On-Site and Off-Site Disposal - Summary
Figure 2-2 Disposal Site Alternative Locations
Figure 2-3 Moab Site Plan, On-Site Disposal Alternative
Figure 2-5 Locations of Temporary Moab Site Construction Facilities, On-Site Disposal Alternative
Figure 2-6 Typical Cross-Section of the Disposal Cell, On-site Disposal Alternative
Figure 2-7 Vicinity Property Inclusion Survey Area
Figure 2-8 Borrow Areas
Figure 2-9 Site Locations Map
Figure 2-11 Rail Haul Off-Site Disposal Alternative, Surface Remediation Activity Schedule
Figure 2-12 Slurry Line Haul Off-site Disposal Alternative, Surface Remediation Activity Schedule
Figure 2-13 Locations of Temporary Moab Site Facilities, Processing (Drying) Areas, and Storm Control Features, Off-site Disposal Alternative
Figure 2-14 Truck and Rail Transportation Routes
Figure 2-15 Slurry Pipeline Transportation Routes
Figure 2-16 Reference Disposal Cell
Figure 2-17 Moab Site Temporary Construction Facilities, Off-Site Disposal Alternative
Figure 2-18 Klondike Flats Site Truck Route Map
Figure 2-19 Crescent Junction Site Truck Route Map
Figure 2-20 White Mesa Mill Site Temporary Construction Facilities
Figure 2-21 Moab Site Rail Transportation Infrastructure, Off-Site Disposal Alternative
Figure 2-22 Klondike Flats Site Railroad Transportation Mode
Figure 2-24 Crescent Junction site Railroad Transportation Mode
Figure 2-25 Klondike Flats Site Slurry Pipeline Transportation Mode
Figure 2-26 Crescent Junction Site Slurry Pipeline Transportation Mode
Figure 2-27 White Mesa Mill Site Slurry Pipeline Transportation Mode
Figure 2-28 Locations of Proposed Slurry Pipelines Facilities at the Moab Site
Figure 2-31 Transportation Facilities Plan, Rail Transportation
Figure 2-32 Disposal Cell Filling Sequences Profile
Figure 2-33 Disposal Cell, Typical Section
Figure 2-34 Reference Disposal Cell Cover Construction
Figure 2-35 Reference Disposal Cell - Typical Cover Section
Figure 2-36 White Mesa Mill Disposal Cell Plan
Figure 2-37 White Mesa Mill Disposal Cell Cross-Section
Figure 2-38 White Mesa Mill Wet cell Liner Design
Figure 2-39 White Mesa Mill Typical Reclamation Cover
Figure 2-40 PEIS Compliance Strategy Selection Process
Figure 2-48 Maximum number of Potentially Affected Cultural Resources
Figure 2-49 Minimum Number of Potentially Affected Traditional Cultural Properties
Figure 2-50 Power Requirements
Figure 2-51 Total Fuel Consumption
Figure 2-52 Daily Potable Water Consumption
Figure 2-53 Total Potable Water Consumption
Figure 2-54 Sanitary Waste Generation
Figure 2-55 Annual Generation of RRM and Solid Waste
Figure 2-56 Annual Costs and Benefits
Figure 2-57 Generation of New Direct and Indirect Jobs
Figure 2-59 Public Latent Cancer fatalities (Excluding Vicinity Property Exposure)
Figure 2-60 Public Latent Cancer Fatalities from Vicinity Property Exposure
Figure 2-61 Nonradiological Transportation Fatalities
Figure 2-62 Increase in Truck Traffic in Downtown Moab
Figure 2-63 Increase in Truck Traffic on US-191
Figure 2-64 Increase in Truck Traffic from Commuters
Figure 3-1 Physiographic and Structural Features in the Moab and Alternative Site Areas
Figure 3-2 Stratigraphic Column of Geologic Formations in the Moab Area
Figure 3-3 Geologic Structures in the Area from Moab Site to Crescent Junction Site
Figure 3-4 Prevailing Wind Direction at the Moab Site
Figure 3-5 Wind Velocity in the Moab Area
Figure 3-6 Water-Bearing Characteristics of Major Stratigraphic Units
Figure 3-9 Cross-Sectional View of TDS Concentrations in Moab Wash and Basin-fill Aquifer Beginning at Moab Wash and Extending Southeast to the Colorado River
Figure 3-10 Uranium Concentrations Interpolated at the Ground Water Surface
Figure 3-11 Ammonia Concentrations interpolated at the Ground Water Surface
Figure 3-12 Cross-Sectional View on Ammonia Concentration Beneath the Tailings Pile
Figure 3-13 Mapped Colorado River Features Near the Moab Site
Figure 3-14 Uranium concentrations in Surface Water Samples collected at the Moab Site
Figure 3-15 Ammonia Concentrations in Surface Water Samples Collected at the Moab Site
Figure 3-16 Colorado River Floodplain Area for the Moab Site
Figure 3-17 Locations of Preferred Habitat for Young-of-the-Year Aquatic Species When Backwaters Are Present
Figure 3-18 Land Use in the Moab to crescent Junction area
Figure 3-21 Transportation Routes and Selected Roads in the Moab to Crescent Junction Area
Figure 3-22 Population within 50 Miles of the Moab Site
Figure 3-23 Minority Population Distribution Within a 50-Miles Radius of Moab, Utah
Figure 3-24 Household income Distribution Withing a 50-Mile Radius of Moab, Utah
Figure 3-26 Prevailing wind Direction at Klondike Flats Site
Figure 3-27 Wind Speed at Klondike Flats Site
Figure 3-28 Locations of Domestic Wells in the Klondike Flats Area
Figure 3-30 Population within 50 Miles of the Klondike Flats Area
Figure 3-31 minority Population Distribution Within a 50-Mile Radius of the Klondike Flats Site
Figure 3-32 Household Income Distribution Within a 50-Mile radius of the Klondike Flats Site
Figure 3-34 Population Within 50 Miles of the Crescent Junction Site
Figure 3-35 Minority Population Distribution Within a 50-Mile Radius of Crescent Junction, Utah
Figure 3-36 Household Income Distribution Within a 50-Mile Radius of the Crescent Junction Site
Figure 3-38 Land Use in the Moab to White Mesa Mill Site Area
Figure 3-40 Transportation Routes From Moab to the White Mesa Mill Site
Figure 3-41 Census Population Within 50 Miles of the White Mesa Mill Site
Figure 3-42 Minority Population Distribution Withing a 50-Mile Radius of the White Mesa Mill Site
Figure 3-43 Household Income Distribution Within a 50-Mile Radius of the White Mesa Mill Site
Figure 3-44 View North of Proposed Pipeline Crossing at Kane Springs Canyon
Figure 3-45 View of Southeast of Proposed Pipeline Crossing at Recapture Creek From US-191
Figure 4-1 Predicted Maximum Ammonia Concentrations in Ground Water Adjacent to the Colorado River for the On-Site Disposal Alternative
Figure 4-2 Predicted Ammonia Concentrations in the Ground Water After 80 Years for the On-Site Disposal Alternative
Figure 4-3 Predicted Ammonia Concentrations in the Ground Water After 200 Years for the On-Site Disposal Alternative
Figure 4-4 Moab Site Visibility Analysis Map
Figure 4-10 Klondike Flats Site Visibility Analysis Map (Section 35 Location)
Figure 4-11 Klondike Flats Site Visibility Analysis Map (Section 25 Location
Figure 4-13 Crescent Junction Site Visibility Analysis Map
Figure 4-14 Simulated View of the Crescent Junction Disposal Cell from the Westbound Lane of I-70 Immediatly After Construction
Figure 4-15 Simulated View of the Crescent Junction Disposal Cell from the Westbound Lane of I-70 Immediatly After Vegetation Was Established
Figure 4-16 Simulated View of the Crescent Junction Disposal Cell from the Westbound Lane of I-70 Scenic Overlook Immediately After Construction
Figure 4-17 Simulated View of the Crescent Junction Disposal Cell from the Westbound Lane of I-70 Scenic Overlook After Vegetation Was Established
Figure 4-18 White Mesa Mill Site Visibility Analysis Map
Figure 4-19 Simulated View of the Booster Pump Station in Lisbon Valley and Newly Constructed Pipeline from Northbound Lane of US-191
Figure 4-20 Simulated View of the Reclaimed Booster Pump Station Area in Lisbon Valley from Northbound Lane of US-191
Figure 4-21 Predicted Maximum Ammonia Concentrations in Ground Water Adjacent to the Colorado River Under the No Action Alternative
Figure 4-22 Predicted Ammonia Concentrations in the Ground Water After 75 Years Under the No Action Alternative
Figure A1-1 Vicinity of the Moab Site
Figure A1-3 Location of Alternative Disposal Sites and Borrow Areas
Figure A1-6 Klondike Flats Alternative Disposal Site
Figure A1-7 Crescent Junction Alternative Disposal Site
Figure A1-8 White Mesa Mill Alternative Disposal Site
Figure F-1 Colorado River, Floodplains, and Potential Wetlands at the Moab Site
Figure F-2 Klondike Flats Site and Location of Spring Near the Blue Hills Road Borrow Area
Figure F-3 Drainages That May Contain Riparian Vegetation and Possible Wetlands Near the White Mesa Mill Borrow Area
Figure F-4 Potential Wetland Near the Floy Wash Borrow
Figure F-5 Location of Wash Near the Tenmile Borrow Area