-AEC-WY -741909-D
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
BY
FUELS AND MATERIALS
DIRECTORATE OF LICENSING
U. S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
RELATED TO THE
UTAH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
SHIRLEY BASIN URANIUM MILL
SHIRLEY BASIN, WYOMING
DOCKET NO. 40-6622
NEPA COLLECTION
Transportation Library
Northwestern University Library
Evanston, IL 60201
e 1974

- AEC- WY - 741909-1
-AEC-WY-741909-D
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
BY
FUELS AND MATERIALS
DIRECTORATE OF LICENSING
U. S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
RELATED TO THE
UTAH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
SHIRLEY BASIN URANIUM MILL
SHIRLEY BASIN, WYOMING
DOCKET NO. 40-6622
臺
​NERA COLLECTION
ry
Noths Ur Loruny
Evariston, L 00201
IL
June 1974
3 5556 031 205727
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
BY
FUELS AND MATERIALS
DIRECTORATE OF LICENSING
U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
RELATED TO THE
UTAH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
SHIRLEY BASIN URANIUM MILL
SHIRLEY BASIN, WYOMING
DOCKET NO. 40-6622
i
SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
(x)
Draft
0
Final Environmental Statement
Responsible Agency Office - Fuels and Materials
Directorate of Licensing
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
AEC Environmental Project Manager
Dr. Edward Y. Shum (301-973–7631)
Fuels and Materials Branch
Directorate of Licensing - Regulation
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
Washington, D. C. 20545
1. Type of Action
(X)
Administrative Action
( ) Legislative Action
2.
Description of Action
The proposed action is the continuation of Source Material License
SUA-442 issued to Utah International, Inc. for the operation of a
uranium mill in the Shirley Basin area of Carbon County, State
of Wyoming (Docket No. 40-6622). The uranium mill has operated under
a license and a subsequent interim authorization as provided for in
Section E of 10 CFR Part 50 pending completion of the detailed en-
vironmental evaluation in keeping with the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969. The Shirley Basin Uranium Mill is designed as
an acid-leach, resin ion-exchange uranium ore processing plant with
a design capacity of about 1500-1800 tons of ore per day. Although
the present licensing action does not extend to mining, this state-
ment considers the environmental impact of the combined mining and
milling project to be conducted by Utah International, Inc. because
of the close proximity of these activities to one another.
3.
Summary of Environmental Impacts Including Adverse and Beneficial
Environmental Effects
The environmental impact, including adverse and beneficial environmental
effects associated with the issuance of a license to the Shirley
Basin Uranium Mill would be as follows:
ii
a.
The mining and milling activities would cause a temporary (10-12
years) reassignment of use of about 8700 acres (365 acres of which
are fenced) of land characterized as isolated, arid and sparsely
vegetated with limited use for grazing.
b.
Approximately 19 million pounds of uranium concentrates would be
produced over a period of about 12 years. The uranium would
eventually be used as the fuel in nuclear reactors capable of
generating approximately 1.4 x 107 megawatt days of electricity.
c.
There would be a change in the local topography involving about
3100 acres and 302 million cubic yards of earth as overburden
removal from open-pit inining. Following reclamation and restoration,
this change would probably be unnoticeable.
d.
The plants provide a local economic stimulus through taxes and
direct employment of about 300 persons in Carbon County over the
next 10-12 years.
e.
A stabilized tailings pile covering about 232 acres and involving
3.5 million tons of tailings containing solidified waste chemicals
and low concentrations of uranium and its daughter products will
be created.
f.
Small quantities of chemicals and radioactive materials would be
discharged into the local environs. This is not expected to
produce a detectable impact.
8.
There would be a temporary (10-12 years) adverse aes thetic impact
on the local area from open-pit mining.
4.
Summary of Major Alternatives Considered
The following alternatives to the Shirley Basin Uranium project were
considered:
a.
Construction of the mill at an alternate site.
b.
Underground mining rather than open-pit mining.
C.
Construction of the tailings retention system at an alternate
location at the Shirley Basin site.
d.
Alternate equipment and operating procedures.
e.
Alternate tailings pile confinement.
iii
f.
Use of alternate mill process.
8.
Alternate mine dewatering schemes.
5.
Federal, State and Local Agencies Asked to Comment
The following Federal, State, and local agencies have been requested
to comment on this Draft Environmental Statement:
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
The Department of Commerce
The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
The Department of the Army, Omaha District, Corps of Engineers
The Federal Power Commission
The Department of the Interior
The Department of Agriculture
The Department of Housing and Urban Development
The Environmental Protection Agency
The State Department of Public Health, Wyoming
The State Department of Labor and Statistics, Wyoming
The Converse County Commission, Wyoming
The date on which this Draft Environmental Statement is being made
available to the public, to the Council on Environmental Quality
and to the other agencies noted above is June, 1974.
6. On the basis of the evaluation set forth in this Draft Statement,
after weighing the environmental, technical and economic benefits
against environmental costs, and considering alternatives, the action
called for is the continuation of the source materials license to
Utah International, Inc., U.S.A., subject to the following conditions
for the protection of the environment:
The applicant will be required (a) to carry out an environmental
monitoring program, (b) to control wastes and effluents, and
(c) to restore and reclaim the site as described by the applicant
in his Environmental Reports and license application.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE NO.
SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
FOREWORD
i
ix
I.
II.
INTRODUCTION...
DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE ENVIRONMENT
1-1
II-1
A.
Location
Regional Demography and Land Use....
II-1
II-1
B.
1.
2.
Population...
Land Use....
Social and Economic.
II-1
II-1
II-7
3.
C.
Historical Significance and Archaeological
Finds....
D. Hydrology..
II-7
II-8
1.
Surface Water....
Ground Water.
II-8
II-8
2.
E.
F.
Geology...
Meteorology
Ecology..
II-11
II-11
II-17
G.
III.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MINE AND MILL.
III-1
A.
B.
The Mine.
The Mill..
III-1
III-2
.
IV.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED ACTION....
IV-1
General...
Source of Effluent.
IV-1
IV-2
B.
1.
.
2.
Solid Waste...
Liquid Waste...
Airborne Waste..
IV-2
IV-2
IV-2
3.
C.
Control of Waste and Effluent....
IV-3
1.
2.
Dust from Ore Pile.....
Tailings Dust....
Ore Crushing Dust..
IV-5
IV-5
IV-5
3.
V
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd)
PAGE NO.
4.
-
5.
Dust from Hauling Roads..
Dust from Yellow Cake Drying and Loading..
Other Airborne Releases..
IV-5
IV- 5
IV-6
6.
D.
Environmental Concentrations and Effect on
Local Biota..
IV-6
1. Radiological....
2. Non-Radiological...
IV-6
IV-11
E.
Environmental Monitoring.
IV-11
1.
2.
3.
Air Monitoring Program..
Water Monitoring Program...
Soil and Fauna Monitoring Program.
IV-11
IV-11
IV-15
F.
Miscellaneous.
Accidents...
IV-15
IV-16
G.
1. Tailings System..
2. Transportation of Concentrates.
Fires..
IV-16
IV-17
IV-17
3.
H.
Reclamation and Restoration...
IV-18
V.
V-1
VI.
ADVERSE EFFECTS WHICH CANNOT BE AVOIDED..
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHORT-TERM USES OF THE
ENVIRONMENT AND MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT OF
LONG-TERM PRODUCTITVITY....
IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENTS OF
RESOURCES....
ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION.
VI-1
VII.
VII-1
VIII-1
VIII.
A.
B.
VIII-1
VIII-1
C.
Alternate Mining Method....
Alternate Mill Site.....
Alternate Mill Process and Equipment and
Operating Procedures...
Alternate Reclamation Program..
Alternate Tailing Pond Confinement.
Alternate Mine Dewatering Schemes.
D.
E.
VIII-2
VIII-2
VIII-2
VIII-2
F.
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd)
PAGE NO.
IX-1
IX.
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS......
Benefits...
Costs..
IX-1
IX-2
B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Land ....
Cultural and Social Considerations
Ecological......
Depletion of Natural Resources..
IX-2
IX-2
IX-4
IX-4
.
IX-4
C.
Benefit-Cost Balance...
X-1
X. BIBLIOGRAPHY....
vii
LIST OF TABLES
PAGE NO.
1.
List of Regulatory Approvals and Permits....
I-2
2.
Population Data..
II-5
3.
Water Quality in Spring Creek....
II-9
4.
Water Quality in Little Medicine Bow River...
II-10
5.
Quality of Mine Water..
11-12
6.
Water Quality of Monitoring Wells.....
II-13
7.
Estimated Quantities of Radioactive Effluents
Emitted from the Major Sources ..
IV-7
8.
Estimates of Radioactive Concentrations...
....
IV-9
9.
Estimates of Dose Equivalents in mrem/year for
Points of Interest....
IV-10
10.
Dispersion of Radium, Uranium and Thorium Downstream
from Mine Ditch According to Simple Dilution and
According to observed Data...
IV-12
11.
Estimates of Emission Rates of Particulates and
Non-Radioactive Effluents Emitted from the Major
Sources...
IV-13
12.
Cost-Benefit Summary
IX-3
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
PAGE NO.
1.
Plant Location in State.
II-2
2. Topographic Map of Shirley Basin Mining Area
II-3
3.
Map of Mill and Mine Area.
II-4
.
4.
Population Distribution Within 50 Miles of SBUM Site .
II-6
.
.
.
5.
Geologic Cross-Section from Area 2 Pit to Spring Creek.
II-14
.
6.
Location of Reported Earthquakes Around the SBUM Site.
II-15
.
7.
Wind Frequency of Casper, Wyoming.
II-16
8.
Typical Cross-Section Showing Final Pit and Waste Dump
Surface.
III-3
9.
General Plot Plan of the SBUM.
III-5
.
10.
An Artist's Concept of the Planned Facilities.
III-6
11.
Simplified Uranium Mill Process Flow Sheet
III-7
.
.
12.
Tailings Dam No. 4
IV-4
13.
Environmental Sampling Locations
IV-14
ix
FOREWORD
This Draft Environmental Statement is related to the proposed
continuation of a source material license for Utah International,
Inc. (the applicant) in connection with the Shirley Basin Uranium
Mill (Docket No. 40-6622). The Statement has been prepared by
Fuels and Materials, Directorate of Licensing (the staff), of the
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in accordance with the Commission's
regulations, 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix D, implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA).
This Statement is based primarily on information available in the
Utah International, Inc. Environmental Report dated September 3,
1970, with supplements dated November 8, 1971; June 23, 1972, and
January 8, 1973. The applicant also supplied answers in March 1974
to a list of specific questions sent to him on January 31, 1974.
Copies of these documents are available in the AEC Public Document
Room, 1717 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20545; the Wyoming State
Clearinghouse, Capitol Building, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001; and the
Carbon County Library, Rawlins, Wyoming 83391.
This Statement represents an independent evaluation of the applicant's
proposed activities by the AEC staff. Independent calculations were
made and used as the basis for the AEC's assessment of the environ-
mental impact. In addition, information was gained from consultants
in various disciplines connected with the environmental evaluation.
I-1
I.
INTRODUCTION
Exploration by Utah International, Inc. led to the discovery of a
significant uranium bearing ore body in the Shirley Basin area of
Carbon County, Wyoming, sometime prior to 1963. Based on the anti-
cipated demands for uranium in the nuclear power industry (it is pro-
jectedl that by 1980 the annual nuclear power requirements for u,o
3, 8
will be about 37,000 tons as compared to 6,000 tons in 1970), Utah
International, Inc., then known as Utah Construction and Mining
Company, initiated a solution mining operation at Shirley Basin with
a monthly production capacity of 15,000 pounds of U, equivalent.
38
This process was discontinued in July 1970 in preparațion for the new
mill at Shirley Basin. Underground mining for mill feed was origi-
nally conducted, but was discontinued in favor of open-pit mining
because of the hazards to personnel due to high rates of water in-
filtration and roof-wall support problems, making this underground
mining difficult and expensive.
Under the Atomic Energy Commission's regulation, 10 CFR Part 40, an
AEC license is required in order to possess, process or use oras con-
taining 0.05% or more of uranium. Moreover, Appendix D of the
Commission's regulation, 10 CFR Part 50, provides for the preparation
of a Detailed Environmental Statement pursuant to the National Environ-
mental Policy Act of 1969.
Based on "Applicant's Environmental Report Operating License
Stage"dated September 30, 1970, Utah was issued an amended source
material license SUA-442 effective January 6, 1971, authorizing
uranium ore processing at Utah's mill facility in Shirley Basin,
Wyoming. Operation under this license is for nominal 1,500 tons of
ore per day. In connection with this application, Utah filed
supplements dated November 8 and June 23, 19723,4 and January 8,
1973.5
The report and supplements discuss the known and potential environ-
mental impact associated with the proposed mining and milling
activities to be conducted by the applicant.
AEC regulations do not require mining activities to be licensed by
the Commission. However, for the purpose of this detailed statement,
the combined environmental impact from both the mining and milling
activities is considered because of their inter-relationship and
close proximity to each other.
Additional applications, approvals, and regulatory requirements for
the Shirley Basin Uranium project are listed in Table 1.
1-2
TABLE 1
LIST OF REGULATORY APPROVALS AND PERMITS
Government Agency
Type of Application
Date of Approval
Wyoming Dept. of Health
and Social Services
August 5, 1970
5
Embankment Retention
System-Tailings Pond
Wyoming Dept. of Health
and Social Services
Sewage Disposal System
August 5, 1970
Construction Information
August 5, 1970
Wyoming Dept. of Health
and Social Services
Wyoming Dept. of Health
and Social Services
Air Quality Act
None Required
Townsite Specifications
Wyoming Dept. of Health
and Social Services
September 30, 1971
Water Quality Act
None Required
Wyoming Dept. of Health
and Social Services
Wyoming Land Commission
Open Cut Land Reclamation
Act
August 31, 1970
Water Discharge Permit
September 11, 1973
Environmental Protection
Agency
II-1
II.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE ENVIRONMENT
A.
Location
The Shirley Basin Uranium Mill (SBUM) is located in Carbon County in
southeastern Wyoming (Fig. 1). The mill site is about 120 miles west
of the Nebraska border and 100 miles north of the Colorado border.
The nearest major city is Casper, approximately 45 miles north.
nearest towns to the site are Medicine Bow, about 35 miles south and
Alcova, about 35 miles northwest. The site can be reached from State
Highways 220 and 487 from Casper or via Federal Highway 30/287 north
from Laramie to State Highway 487. The approximate coordinates of the
SBUM are 45° 22' 25" north latitude and 106° 10' west longitude.
The site is at the elevation of about 7,100 feet overlooking Spring
Creek and within an exclusion area of 12,000 acres owned or controlled
through long-term leases by the applicant (Fig. 2). Within this area,
a 365 acre site on which the mine and mill are located is fenced to
prevent access by horses, sheep and cattle (Fig. 3). The site topo-
graphy is typical of eastern Wyoming plains with moderate elevation
changes, i.e., the topography of the vicinity is characterized by
rolling hills and valleys. Elevation differences of 250 feet are
present within 2-3 miles distances. Local slopes are 20 to 40 percent.
B.
Regional Demography and Land Use
1.
Population
The area surrounding the plant is quite sparsely populated. The
nearest permanent residential dwelling is the Heward Ranch occupied
by three people and located above five miles due east. A trailer
park (the Shirley Basin Townsite) located about five miles south of
the mill is used by people employed at the nearby uranium mines and
mills. The nearest major city is Casper with a population of 39,361.
Population data5 for the area are shown in Table 2. The population
distribution within 50 miles of the site is shown in Fig. 4.
2.
Land Use
The land use in Shirley Basin is dominated by the activity of mining
and milling industries. The principal mineral products of the entire
North Platte River Basin are petroleum products, uranium ore, coal,
sand and gravel, and cement rock. The recent discovery of significalit
uranium deposits in the Shirley Basin is estimated by the Atomic Energy
20
26
HILAND
59
DAKOTA
SOUTH
(87)
A
CASPER
GLENROCK
MANVILLE
(220
DOUGLAS
NODE
DEER CREEK
RANGE
20
McKINLEY
RATTLE SNAKE HILLS
VAN TARSELL
ALCOVA (487
1789
(287)
(85)
220
SBUM
LARAMIE
II-2

BAIROIL
WYOMING
GARRETT
MOUNTAINS
TORRINGTON
HAYSTACK MOUNTAINS
487
WHEATLAND
(85
789
26
287
RAWLINS
HANNA
MEDICINE BOW
HAWK SPRINGS
30
80
ROCK RIVER
CHUGWATER
NEBRASKA
(789)
(130
34
McFADDEN
BOSLER
SARATOGA
30
IRON MOUNTAIN
287
80
(87)
85
(130)
(130)
LARAMIE
LINDBERGH
RIVERSIDE
(230)
287
30
80
80
(230
BUFORD
SIERRA MADRE RANGE
CHEYENNE
ORCHARD VALLEY
FIGURE 1 PLANT LOCATION IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING
COLORADO
II-3
3
7100
SPRING
CREEK
7050
7100
PRESENT WASTE
DUMP AREA
FUTURE WASTE DUMP AREA
SPRING
CREEK
MONITOR
WELLS
TAILINGS POND
FUTURE DUMP
MINE AREA 2
MILL
AREA
MINE AREA
FUTURE
MINE AREA
MINE AREA 3
7150
hom
7150
V
7100
COUNTY ROAD
7100
FIGURE 2 TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP OF MILL AND MINE AREA

II-4
-TAILINGS DAM
:TAILINGS POND NO.4
N
EMERGENCY
CONTAINMENT
6.6 ACRES
TAILINGS AREA 254.2 ACRES
WASTE DUMP
13.6 ACRES
TAILINGS
POND NO. 3
SOLID
TAILINGS
TAILINGS POND NO. 2
FRESH WATERS
DE POND
ro
MILL, PLANT &
ORE PAD AREA
FIGURE 3 MAP OF MILL AND MINE AREA
PA
O'
28.0 ACRES
500'
1,000'
SCALE
II-5
TABLE 2
POPULATION DATA
Town or City
Location
(with reference
to SBUM)
Actual Data
1970 1960
%Gain
(or loss)
Alcova
250
Casper
39,361
38,930
1.1
Elmo
53
91
(41.8)
Hanna
460
625
(26.4)
Heward Ranch
3
Medicine Bow
455
392
Shirley Basin
Townsite
35 miles NW
45 miles NNW
50 miles SW
55 miles SW
5 miles E
35 miles S
16.1
5 miles s
710
II-6
N
50
NNW
MILES
NNE
40
1907
42194
MN
NE
0
0
0
3922
7465
30
o
0
o
0
WNW
20
0
ENE
0
0
0
0
0
0
10
0
o
010
o
0
W
0
0
o
0
o
0
00
o
0
E
o
o
710
o
o
o
o
0
o
0
0
WSW
ESE
0
0
O
0
0
o
690
SW
455
SE
1850
0
SSW
SSE
S
FIGURE 4 POPULATION DISTRIBUTION WITHIN 50 MILES OF SBUM
*Population Based on 1970 Census Final Counts
II-7
Commission to be 15 percent of known domestic reserves. In 1968
Wyoming placed second in uranium production with 25 percent of
the total about 2,700 tons of 1,0..7
3° 8°
-
Prior to the present activities in the area undertaken by the
applicant, the use of the land was for general grazing, limited
hunting. No farming activities are conducted in this semi-deserted
wilderness area as the growing season is short and natural moisture
levels are inadequate for economical agriculture. About three miles
south of the new plant is the Petrotomics Mill which processes uranium
ore supplied from two mines immediately east of it.
3.
Social and Economic
The population density of the Shirley Basin area has been somewhat
changed by the applicant's operations and other mining companies in
the area.
New people have been brought to the area and employed in
the operation. A formerly uninhabited area is now inhabited.
.
The Shirely Basin townsite provides living accommodations for about
900 people and concentrates the population which was once scattered
in several points throughout the Shirley Basin area. The townsite
has an elementary school and high school students are bus sed to
Medicine Bow. Law enforcement is provided by a Carbon County Deputy
Sheriff. The Wyoming Highway Patrol patrols the area periodically.
Townsite services are adequate. There are four churches and a
community library, Extension Club, Boy Scout and Girl Scout organiza-
tion, a Snowmobile Club and organized basketball, baseball and volley-
ball teams in the community.
Information obtained from Wyoming Mining Association shows that
uranium mining operations in Shirley Bas in contribute substantially
to the economic base of Wyoming, Carbon and surrounding counties. In
1971, an average of 690 persons were employed with an average weekly
payroll of $130,000; a total payroll of $6,750,000 for the year. In
1971 approximately $1,340,000 was paid in taxes, $350,000 in sales
and use tax, $640,000 in ad valorem and severance taxes, and $350,000
in property taxes.
C.
Historical Significance and Archaeological Finds
The nearest historical landmark listed in the National Register of
Historic Sites8 is the Glenrock Buffalo Jump, about two miles west
of the Glenrock Interchange on 1-25 and about 45 miles north of the
II-8
applicant's facilities. The landmark will not be affected by the
SBUM. A statement attesting to this fact has been offered by the
State Historic Preservation Office in Wyoming. Any historical or
archaeological finds will be protected by the applicant and the
appropriate state office notified.
D.
Hydrology
1.
Surface Water
The local surface drainage area of the SBUM site is quite limited.
The mill site is in a low precipitation area with the major runoff
occurring in the May and June period of snowmelt and rain. The
mine area is drained by Spring Creek and the Little Medicine Bow
River (see Fig. 13) which are characterized as slow and meandering
with moderate caving or sloughing of banks.9 Spring Creek runs
from northeast of the site and empties into the Little Medicine Bow
River. The natural flow from Spring Creek represents about 20-30
percent of the total Little Medicine Bow flow. An estimated flow at
the confluence of Spring Creek and the Little Medicine Bow River
during low mark is about 2245-4490 gallons per minute. The Little
Medicine Bow River continues southwards and flows into the Medicine
Bow River which is one of the tributaries of the North Platte River,
a continuously flowing stream in the general area with approximately
898,000 gallons per minute at the Pathfinder Dam about 40 miles west
of the SBUM site.
The general quality of the surface water is quite good. Analysis
of the water quality in Spring Creek and Little Medicine Bow River
is summarized in Tables 3 and 4.
2.
Groundwater
.
Groundwater is present at the sand beds underlying the SBUM and local
area. The water table near the mill site is located at an elevation
of 69 50 feet. Since there are no reliable sources of surface water
at the SBUM site, process and potable water is obtained from subsurface
deposits. Approximately 3,000 gallons per minute of water are pumped
from the ground around the mine from the dewatering wells and the
sumps within the mine to assist the dewatering of the area of operation.
About 500-600 gallons per minute of this water is used for operational
purposes. The remaining water is discharged via a ditch from the mine
II-9
TABLE 3**
WATER QUALITY IN SPRING CREEK
Water Sampling Stations*
1
5
6
..
Total hardness as Cacog, mg/1...
3
Specific conductance @ 77°F, U-mhos.
Biochemical oxygen demand, mg/1....
Chemical oxygen demand, mg/1
pH, units...
Oil and grease, mg/1..
Bromide, Ug/1...
Chloride, mg/1..
Fluoride, Ug/1.....
Nitrite (NO), Ug/1.
2
Sulfate (50%), mg/1....
4
Sulfide (S), mg/1.
Arsenic, Ug/1...
Aluminum, Ug/1.
Cadmium, Ug/1.
Chromium, Ug/1....
Copper, Ug/1..
Iron, Ug/1..
Lead, Ug/1....
Manganese, Ug/1
Mercury, Ug/1..
Nickel, Ug/1......
Uranium as Uzºg, Ug/1.
..
3.87
Vanadium, Ug/1..
Zinc, Ug/1....
Thorium (Th-230) x 10 6 microcuries/ml..
Radium (Ra-226) x 10-8 microcuries/ml
(Dissolved + Undissolved)...
103
330
ND
ND
7.9
ND
ND
4
220
30
23
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
225
ND
10
ND
ND
22
ND
18
0.0004
201
1220
ND
ND
7.9
ND
220
10
160
100
417
ND
30
300
ND
ND
ND
900
ND
45
ND
ND
1450
ND
100
0.0013
118
365
ND
ND
7.7
ND
110
6
180
60
26
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
345
ND
10
ND
ND
17
ND
15
0.0006
>
. . . .
>
3.7
4.9
0.9
mg/1 = milligrams per liter
Ug/1 = micrograms per liter
ND = not detected
3
*
**
The locations of water sampling stations are shown in Figure 13.
Tables 3-6 represent the average analytical results on data
collected over a period of several years.
II-10
TABLE 4
WATER QUALITY IN LITTLE MEDICINE BOW RIVER
Water Sampling Stations*
4
3
.
.
Total hardness as Cacoz, mg/1...
Specific conductance 277°F, U-mhos..
Biochemical oxygen demand, mg/1..
pH, units....
Oil and grease, mg/1....
Bromide, Ug/1...
Chloride, mg/1...
Fluoride, Ug/1...
Nitrite (NO), Ug/1..
2
Sulfate (s), mg/1.
Sulfide (S), mg/1..
Arsenic, Ug/1...
Aluminum, Ug/1.
Cadmium, Ug/1.
Chromium, Ug/1.
Copper, Ug/1
Iron, Ug/1..
Lead, Ug/1.....
Manganese, Ug/1.
Mercury, Ug/1.....
Nickel, Ug/1....
Uranium as 0,0. Ug/1...
3.8'
Vanadium, Ug/1..
Zinc, Ug/1..
Thorium (Th-230) x 10 6 microcuries/ml.
-6
...
Radium (Ra-226) x 10
-8
microcuries/ml
(Dissolved + Undissolved)...
201
490
ND
2.24
ND
150
10
400
160
28
ND
ND
300
ND
ND
ND
1500
ND
55
ND
ND
47
ND
30
0.0015
162
770
1
ND
ND
200
10
140
60
258
ND
ND
300
ND
ND
ND
730
ND
11
ND
ND
970
ND
20
0.001
..
.
.
. . .
.
.
1.9
<0.2
mg/1 = milligrams per liter
Ug/1 = micrograms per liter
ND = Not detected
* The location of water sampling stations are shown in Figure 13.
II-11
through a series of four settling ponds to allow solid particles to
settle out before flowing into Spring Creek. Analysis of the water
quality of the mine sump is shown in Table 5.
Effluents from the mill are contained in the enclosed tailing ponds.
Six monitoring wells are drilled in a "T" pattern downstream of the No.
4 tailings pond dam as shown in Figure 13 in order to monitor seepage of
water under the dam. Analysis of the water quality of the monitoring
wells is shown in Table 6.
E.
Geology
The Shirley Basin is a Southward extension of the Wind River Basin
10
between Sweeter Arch and the Laramie Range. Except for the mountains,
geologic formation are mostly sedimentary and of recent (Cenozoic and
Mesozoic) origin, with land forms typical of an arid climate.
vicinity of the mill site the rock underlying the topsoil is primarily
sandstone. In the immediate mill area the topsoil is 6-8 inches deep,
is friable brownish gray loan. Soils are fair for crops and productivity
is dependent on adequate moisture.
The uranium ores are in the Wind River formation of tertiary age and
were deposited on an old erosion surface cut into Cretaceous rocks. The
geology in the mining area is shown in Figure 5 which represents an
east-west geologic cross-section through the Area 2 pit to Spring Creek.
The area is within the "Zone One" Seismic Risk area which is characterized
by earthquakes of low frequency and low intensity. Earthquakes of this
type have been reported in the general area during the past 100 years.
Figure 6 shows the locations of reported earthquakes since 1869.
F:
Meteorology
There is no official weather station in the immediate vicinity of the
SBUM. However, the climate is probably not significantly different from
that of the general area which is semi-arid and cool with an average
annual precipitation of 12 inches and an average evaporation of about 43
inches of water. The temperature ranges from -25 to +90 averaging
42.4°F. The prevailing wind is estimated to be from southwest with a
frequency of about 24% (see Fig. 7 for wind frequency of Casper, Wyoming
as reference) and with an average wind speed of about 13-14 miles per
hour.
II-12
TABLE 5
WATER QUALITY OF MINE WATER
Sampling Point:
Mine Sump
.
.
0
0
Total hardness as Cacoz, mg/1...
Specific conductance @ 77°F, U-mhos..
Biochemical oxygen demand, mg/1...
Chemical oxygen demand, mg/1...
pH, units...
Oil and grease, mg/1
Bromide, Ug/1...
Chloride, mg/1..
Fluoride, Ug/1.....
Nitrite (NO), Ug/1.
2
Sulfate (50%), mg/1.....
Sulfide (), mg/1...
Arsenic, Ug/1..
Aluminum, Ug/1..
Cadmium, Ug/1...
Chromium, Ug/1....
Copper, Ug/1.....
Iron, Ug/1...
Lead, Ug/1....
Manganese, Ug/1..
Mercury, Ug/1...
Nickel, Ug/1.
Uranium as 0,0. Ug/1...
Vanadium, Ug71.
Zinc, Ug/1....
-6
Thorium (Th-230) x 10 microcuries/ml...
-8
Radium (Ra-226) x 10 microcuries/ml (Dissolved +
Undissolved)..
225
1325
ND
ND
7.7
ND
ND
12
100
360
544
ND
ND
4000
ND
ND
ND
7500
ND
100
ND
75
2400
ND
35
0.021
.
3,8'
»
13.6
mg/1 = milligrams per liter
Ug/1 = micrograms per liter
/
ND Not detected
=
=
II-13
TABLE 6
WATER QUALITY OF MONITORING WELLS
Monitoring Wells*
3
4
1
2
5
6
o
.
.
148
.
. .
mg/1.
Total hardness as CaCo3;
,
Specific conductance @ 77°F, U-mhos
Biochemical oxygen demand, mg/1
Chemical oxygen demand, mg/1
pH, units...
Oil and grease, mg/1.
Bromide, Ug/1.
Chloride, mg/1.
Fluoride, Ug/1.
Nitrite (NO,), Ug/1.
2
Sulfate (S04), mg/1.
Sulfide (s), mg/1.
Arsenic, Ug/1.
Aluminum, Ug/1.
Cadmium, Ug/1
Chromium, Ug/1
Copper, Ug/1.
Iron, Ug/1.
Lead, Ug/1..
Manganese, Ug/1.
Mercury, Ug/1.
Nickel, Ug/1.
Uranium as 0,0 Ug/1.
Vanadium. Ug71.
Zinc, Ug/1
Thorium (Th-230) x 10 microcuries/ml.
Radium (Ra-226) x 10 8 microcuries/ml
(Dissolved + Undissolved)..
475
1120
ND
8.64
7.9
ND
110
20
520
160
468
ND
ND
3500
ND
ND
40
3750
ND
110
ND
45
2750
ND
60
0.0004
250
990
8
1.92
7.9
ND
ND
14
320
60
366
ND
ND
200
ND
ND
ND
500
ND
85
ND
ND
2225
ND
30
0.098
265
1430
13
8.16
7.9
ND
690
160
10
1150
279
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
ND
60
ND
77
ND
ND
215
ND
55
0.039
118
300
2
2.40
7.7
ND
ND
20
60
100
31
ND
ND
200
ND
ND
12
950
ND
15
ND
ND
110
ND
75
0.0006
93
529
275
1155
ND
14
ND
26.4
7.6
7.9
ND
0.2
370
370
12
120
20
130
230
110
218
ND
ND
ND
ND
2000
3800
ND
ND
ND
ND
12
65
3000
3750
ND
ND
105
130
ND
ND
ND
ND
135
100
ND
ND
70
80
0.0007 0.024
.
3,8'
10-6
0.23
1.7
< 0.2
0.7
0.81
9.8
mg/1 =
milligrams per liter
Ug/1 = micrograms per liter
ND = Not detected
* Locations of monitoring wells are shown in Figure 13.
II-14

-DAM
-MILL CREEK
SPRING CREEK
SHAFT
AREA 2 PIT LIMITS
TAILINGS POND
7100
7100
TWR
TWDR
7000
TWR
TWDR
7000
TWR
TWDR
an
6900
6900
UPPER SANDS
6800
UPPER
ORES ORE SANDS
6800
Kn?
6700
SANDS
6700
TWDR
TWDR
LOWER
6600
6600
Kn
TERTIARY
TWR-WHITE RIVER FORMATION
TWDR-WIND RIVER FORMATION
GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTION
AREA 2 PIT TO SPRING CREEK
500 1000
OL
2000
HOROZONTAL SCALE FEET
CRETACEOUS
Kn-NIOBRARA FORMATION
Kf-FRONTIER FORMATION
FIGURE 5 GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTION FROM AREA 2 PIT TO SPRING CREEK
59
DAKOTA
SOUTH
(87)
(188
CASPER
GLENROCK
MANVILLE
DOUGLAS
NODE
20
DEER CREEK
RANGE
McKINLEY
VAN TARSELL
RATTLE SNAKE HILLS
(487)
1789
(85)
(287)
20
26
HILAND
220)
SBUM
LARAMIE
BAIROIL
WYOMING
GARRETT
MOUNTAINS
TORRINGTON I
II-15

487
Z WHEATLAND
HAYSTACK MOUNTAINS
26
789
287
RAWLINS
HANNA
MEDICINE BOW
HAWK SPRINGS
30
80
ROCK RIVER
CHUGWATER
NEBRASKA
(789)
130
34
MeFADDEN
BOSLER
IRON MOUNTAIN
SARATOGA
30
287
(87)
85
(130)
LARAMIE
(130)
LINDBERGH
(230)
RIVERSIDE
(287)
30
80
(230)
BUFORD
60
CHEYENNE
ORCHARD VALLEY
SIERRA MADRÉ RANGE
COLORADO
FIGURE 6 LOCATION OF REPORTED EARTHQUAKES AROUND THE SBUM SITE
INTENSITY OF I TO V (MODIFIED MERCALLI)
II-16
N
5.3
4.1
5.1
3.8
2.6
5.0
4.3
CALM
W
7.1.
4.5
E
5.4%
2.6
1.3
0.9
1.4
17.4
5%
5.5
10%
15%
WIND SPEED AVERAGE 13.3 m.p.h.
RANGE OF AVERAGES BY DIRECTION
7.9 to 18.4 m.p.h.
20%
S
23.6
FIGURE 7 WIND FREQUENCY FOR CASPER, WYOMING
(1956-1960 Average of Hourly Observations)
ref. Climatography of the United States No. 82–48, Summary of Hourly Observations
Casper, Wyoming, (1963)
II-17
G.
Ecology
The physiography of the area is gently rolling land which is
dominated by a grass-land sagebrush association. While the growing
season only averages between 60 and 90 days, the landscape surround-
ing the mine is covered with natural vegetation including sagebrush,
wheatgrass, needle grass, blue grass, blue grama, ricegrass, june-
grass and muhly. In addition, many forbs are present such as onion
pulox, globemallow, aster, skeleton plant, umbrella plant, stone crop
and toadflax, The productivity of the plant communities varies con-
siderably depending on the available moisture which also regulates
the animal density.
1
There are some sheep grazing and small animals such as rabbits and
sage grouse. Antelope, deer, fox, coyote and elk do frequent the
area. Several species of birds are resident or transient in the
area with an occasional water fowl, mallard frequenting the streams.
The birds and mammals considered rare (R) or endandered (E) and
known to occur in the Medicine Bow River drainage include:
whistling swan (R), bald eagle (E), osprey (E), peregrine falcon
(E), wolverine (R), black-footed ferret (E), kit fox (E), mountain
lion (R), lynx (R) and bighorn sheep (R).
>
Little fishing is done as the streams and lakes are dominated by
non-sport fishes such as white sucker, longnose sucker and long
nose dace, Aquatic biota in Spring Creek and the Little Medicine
Bow River includes some 34 genera of phytoplankton. Over 30 genera
of zooplankton and several dozen forms of benthic algae are also
found. A detailed list of plants and animals in the region of the
SBUM site is given in References 11-17.
III-1
III.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MINE AND MILL
A.
The Mine
The uranium ore zone at the SBUM site is located about 270 to 350 feet
below the ground surface. The overburden consists of poorly consolidated
sandstones and clay. Mining is now conducted by the open-pit method
which consists of overburden removal followed by the removal of uranium-
bearing ore. The topsoil is first removed and stored for future use
during reclamation and restoration of the area.
Early mining was by underground removal of the ores. Because of high
water infiltration rates and problems with roof and wall supports,
operation became difficult and expensive and was discontinued. In-situ
leaching of ores, solution mining was conducted for several years. This
consisted of injecting the leaching solution into ore bearing strata
through wells and then drawing out the uranium-rich leach solution.
This process was authorized by the AEC in January 1963 under License No.
SUA-442 and was discontinued in July 1970 in preparation for a uranium
mill scheduled to start-up in November 1970.
In January 1969, the stripping for open-pit mining was begun to reach
the uranium ore zones. The overburden is removed from the pit areas and
stored at designated surface waste disposal areas. This initial material
is spread to provide gradual slopes, covered with stripped topsoil and
planted with natural vegetation. The ore piles are regulated by uranium
content to be able to blend for uniform process feed materials.
.
There are three mine and waste storage areas, (see Figure 2). Area 1
and 3, southeast of the plant, will involve stripping approximately 130
million cubic yards of overburden and yielding in excess of 2 million
tons of uranium bearing ore. Area 2, west of the plant, will involve
stripping 172 million cubic yards of overburden and yielding approxi-
mately 2.7 million tons of ore.
As the mining progresses and ore is removed, the overburden from new
sections in Area 2 will be used to back fill the mined out zones of
the pit thus reducing the area disturbed by stripping and waste storage.
It is estimated that the total overburden in the surface waste dump
area will reach 85 million cubic yards while the remaining Area 2
stripped overburden material will be used for backfill. This will
reduce the size of the final Area 2 pit remaining open to less than
III-2
one-half of the total volume excavated. The final Area 2 pit
will be 340 acres and waste dump approximately 780 acres. Stripping
and mining of Area 2 is scheduled for completion in 1979.
The same procedure will be followed for Areas 1 and 3 resulting in
a disturbed area of 400 acres encompassed by the pits and 830 acres
of waste dump. This work is projected for completion by 1984.
Long-range programs are for backfilling the west and north portions
of Area 2 pit, such that the overburden will blend into the waste
dump and slope to the final pit towards the southeast corner.
There will not be sufficient overburden to completely fill the pits
to the original levels (the uranium depleted ore is discharged into
the tailings ponds) resulting in a fresh water lake being formed
as the groundwater table returns to natural levels when pit dewatering
is terminated.
The pit stripping and hauling of the overburden is accomplished with
electric powered shovels and dies el electric trucks in addition to
the conventional diesel powered scrapers and spreaders. The steep
slopes created in the waste dump storage areas are modified by con-
ventional grading equipment to insure 3 to l slopes for the banks of
the overburden. Figure 8 shows the pit and waste dump area and
final expected grade configurations,
During the mining at the lower pit of depth approximately 300 feet,
the dewatering rate will be approximately 3000 to 4000 gpm. Approxi-
mately 500 gpm will be used in the ore process streams and the re-
mainder will be directed to Spring Creek through a series of settling
ponds. These settling ponds will act as clarifiers and the sediment
in the bottom of the pond can be recovered and recycled through the
mill.
B.
The Mill
The SBUM is a conventional acid leach uranium ore processing plant.
Its function is to extract naturally-occurring uranium from ores
mined in the immediate vicinity of the plant. The nominal through-
.
put of the mill is to be 1500 tons of ore per day with an average
uranium content of about 0.2 percent. Presently known reserves are
estimated to be sufficient for plant operation through 1983 at the
currently planned processing rate.
III-3
WASTE DUMP
ORIGINAL SURFACE
7500
7000
6500
BACKFILL
LAKE
FINAL PIT WALL
FEET
0
1000
2000
3000
FIGURE 8 TYPICAL CROSS SECTION SHOWING FINAL PIT AND WASTE DUMP SURFACE
III-4
Major plant features include an ore storage and blending area; a
mill building containing wet grinding equipment, leaching tanks,
precipitation tanks and concentrate; drying and packaging equipment;
six thickeners located adjacent to the mill building; a maintenance
shop building and office facilities. A general plot plan of the
plant is shown in Figure 9. Although the mill is located in a
remote area, the.mill complex has been constructed to be as
aesthetically pleasing as possible. An artist's concept of the
SBUM is shown in Figure 10.
The proposed uranium extraction circuit utilizes the conventional
acid-leach, resin ion-exchange process for which the technology is
well defined 18 (see Fig. 11).
.
Ores are initially blended and wet
crushed to a minus 20 mesh. The ground ore slurry is then pumped
to leaching tanks where it is contacted with sulfuric acid and sodium
chlorate oxidant. From the leach tanks the flow proceeds to the
six washing thickeners. The pregnant liquor overflows to the carbon
clarifier and the uranium depleted pulp is washed and thickened and
pumped to the tailing pond. The pregnant liquor, the uranium bearing
mill solution, passes through a parallel bank of ion exchangers
where the uranium is absorbed on the ion exchange resin. Part of
the spent solution is recycled back to the thickeners and the remaining
solution is sent to the tailing pond. (A surge pond will be con-
structed for recycling of a portion of the water going to the
tailing pond.) The uranium is stripped from the resin by a concen-
trated salt (NaCl) solution. This enriched brine solution is then
contacted with ammonia to precipitate the uranium-rich solid called
yellow cake. The precipitated yellow cake is centrifuged from the
salt solution, washed and recentrifuged. Wash water is filtered
to remove any residual yellow cake and then pumped to the tailing
pond. Finally, the yellow cake is dried and barrelled. The offgas
from the dryer is passed through a water scrubber prior to the re-
lease to the atmosphere. Figure 11 is a simplified block diagram
of the milling operation.
.
III-5

-
-
SUBSTATION
lo
PARKING
all
OFFICE
11
000
ما
MILL BUILDING
0000
SHOP
D
09
OPEN PIT MINE
HAULROAD
om
**
FIGURE 9 GENERAL PLOT PLAN OF SBUM
9-III

---
Ha
ti
Figure 10 An Artist's Concept of the Planned Facilities
III-7
FIGURE 11 SIMPLIFIED URANIUM MILL PROCESS FLOW SHEET
1200 T/DAY
STOCKPILED ORE
MILL SOLUTION
WELL WATER
OVERFLOW
THICKEN
CASCADE
CARBON
AND
MILL
CLARIFIERS
OVERFLOW
CENTRIFUGE
NaCl
UNDERFLOW
WELL WATER
Nacio3
H2SO4
ION
YELLOWCAKE
EXCHANGE
FILTER
VENT AIR
UNITS
WASH
# 1 OVERFLOW
OVERFLOW
FOUR
URANIUM
RICH
BRINE
LEACH
NH3
TO TAILINGS POND
TANKS
AIR IN
THICKEN
AND
# 2 OVERFLOW
CENTRIFUGE
PRECIPITATOR
FLOCCULATING
UNDERFLOW
AGENT
EXTENDED MILL SOLUTION
STACK TO
ATMOSPHERE
WELL WATER
SIX
YELLOWCAKE
VAPOR
WASHING
SCRUBBER
DRYER
THICKENERS
WELL
WATER
UNDERFLOW
UNDERFLOW
T
AIR FROM DUST
PICKUP POINTS
TO TAILINGS POND
FINAL PRODUCT
IV-1
IV.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSED ACTION
A.
General
The uranium content in uranium-bearing ore generally consists of an
average of about 0.25 percent as 0,0
Uzºs.. This uranium is present as
38
uranium-238 and uranium-235, both of which are naturally occurring
radioactive parents of long chains of radioactive daughter products.
Since natural uranium contains about 99.29 percent uranium-238, the
radioactive isotopes generated from the decay chain of uranium-238,
known as the uranium-radium family, are of primary concern. In the
milling process, natural uranium is separated from the ore and the
remaining depleted pulp (tailings containing radioactive uranium
daughter products) is pumped to the tailing retention system.
Since uranium milling operations involve only very low-level and dilute
concentrations of radioactive materials, it is unlikely that operations
or activities associated with the milling process could result in an
immediate radiation hazard to the mill employees or a threat to the
public health and safety. External radiation levels associated with
uranium milling activities are low, rarely exceeding a few mR/hr, at
the surfaces of process vessels. Liquid and solid wastes from the
milling operations contain only low level concentrations of radio-
active materials which are retained and stored in an earth-dam
retention system (the tailing pond) on the SBUM site. Concentration
of airborne radioactive materials escaping into the surrounding
environs are found to be not more than a few percent of the permissible
limits specified in 10 CFR Part 20 (see Table 7).
Despite the plant's location in a remote area, access to the facility
and tailings retention system are controlled by the licensee. Both
the mill and the tailings area are fenced, and surveillance of the
plant and site is maintained at all times by mill employees.
The Regulatory staff has evaluated the proposed criteria for the
accumulation and storage of tailings and the applicant's methods and
equipment for minimizing release of radioactive materials into the
surrounding environs of the proposed mine and mill and has concluded
that the applicant's proposed criteria, methods and equipment will
result in effluent concentrations well within applicable limits.
The Regulatory staff has also concluded, as outlined below, that the
activities planned by the applicant are not expected to produce
significant biological effects on the biota in the vicinity of the
proposed mill.
IV-2
B.
Source of Effluents
1.
Solid Waste
The tailings contribute most of the solid wastes from the uranium
milling activities. They are discharged to the tailings pond in the
form of finely ground waste sandstone and silica particles from which
the uranium has been chemically extracted. Other solid wastes
consist of trash and sludge from the sanitary sewage system.
About 1500 tons per day of solid waste tailings (slurred in about
3100 tons of waste milling solution) is generated at the SBUM site.
These tailings contain the bulk of the radioactive uranium daughter
products initially in the ore plus traces of waste chemicals, mine
waste, and other constituents of the ore.
2.
Liquid Waste
Liquid generated from the project consists of about 1500-3000 gallons
per minute of fresh water pumped from the mine. As indicated
previously, excess water from the mine is released into Spring Creek.
The waste milling solution (about 213,000 pounds per hour) is stored
in the tailings retention system with the solid tailings. These
solutions contain the unreacted portion of the sulfuric acid (4000
lbs per hour) used as the leaching agent in the mill process and have
an initial pH of 1.5 to 2; salt (NaCl) (300 lbs per hour) from the
resin stripping; reacted ammonia (NH) (100 lbs. per hour); reacted
sodium chlorate (Naci0z) (100 lbs. per hour).
3.
Airborne Effluent
Airborne wastes may escape into the local environs from (1) wind
erosion of the ore storage piles and the tailings retention; (2) dusts
from mining activities and haulage roads; (3) the exhaust system serv-
ing the yellow cake drying and packaging operations; (4) the leaching
tank vent system and process building ventilators; and (5) the process
and heating steam boilers.
The significant contaminants from these sources will be: (a) uranium
and uranium daughter products from the ore piles, tailings system and
ore crushing ventilation system; (b) CO,, CO and nitrogen oxides from
the boiler discharge (natural gas is used as the burning fuel);
(c) radon from the leach tank vents; (d) ammonia from the precipitator;
(e) natural uranium from the yellow cake ventilation system.
IV-3
C.
Control of Waste and Effluent
All solid and liquid wastes generated at the mill are impounded in a
tailings retention system. It permits the evaporation of most of
the contained waste liquids and serves as a permanent receptacle for
the residual solid tailings. This system was constructed by erecting
an earth fil1, clay core dam across a natural basin (see Figure 3 for
location) using AEC recommended construction practices for earth dam
retention system, The top of the dam has been raised to its projected
maximums height, elevation 7110 which is approximately 600 feet above
the invert of Mine Creek dry wash. At this height, the tailings
capacity is approximately 3,500,000 tons with a minimum free board
of 3 feet below the 7110 foot elevation. The upstream face has a
side slope ratio of 2-1/2 to 1 and the downstream face has a slope
ratio of 2 to 1 (see Fig. 12). The surface area of the lake will
be approximately 232 acres with the water level at 7107 foot elevation.
The tailings were initially discharged at the toe of the upstream face
of the dam and now the discharge is being deposited onto the existing
tailings still at the upstream face of the dam. As tailings are
deposited, the coarser sand materials will settle out and the fines
and slimes tend to run towards the center of the pond. This forms a
solid area against the dam which will progressively move upstream as
operations continue. The slimes and fine sands are expected to
eventually seal the bottom of the pond and liquid losses should be
entirely by evaporation which in this area should average 43 inches
per year.
The tailings pond originally contained the waste water from the
solution mining operation and some runoff. There was some seepage.
of water under the toe of the dam and a catch basin, running per-
pendicular to Mine Creek has been constructed downstream of the dam.
Approximately 10 gpm is collected and pumped back to the tailings
pond. Six monitoring wells in Mine Creek downstream of the catch
basin have been drilled and grab samples have been taken to monitor
any seepage from the pond which could possibly reach Spring Creek.
Further control to prevent failure of the retention system from run-
off waters is the system of ditches collecting the runoff and divert-
ing such runoff, which is normally not a serious condition with only
12 inches precipitation per year, to a settling system prior to
release to Spring Creek. Plant maintenance crews monitor and repair
as necessary the tailings discharge lines to the pond and the ditching
system on a regular scheduled basis to insure proper operation of the
entire system.
IV-4
TYPICAL CROSS SECTION OF DAM
(207
ELEVATION
STAGE 2
STAGE 1
7100
7090
7080
MONITOR WELL
COMPACTED HOMOGENEOUS SANDY CLAY
2009
GROUND LEVEL
65'
SAGEBRUSH REMOVED
1' CLAY BLANKET COVERING RESERVOIR BASIN
TO: 7095 CONTOUR STAGE 1
7105 CONTOUR STAGE 2
2% TO 1 SLOPE
UPSTREAM
2 TO 1 SLOPE
DOWNSTREAM
SAGEBRUSH AND FROZEN
ZONE REMOVED
56'
60'
FIGURE 12 TAILINGS DAM NUMBER 4
IV-5
The release of airborne contaminants to the surrounding environs will
be controlled as follows:
1.
Dust from Ore Piles
Because the ore is fairly coarse and has a moisture content of 12-15%,
dust from the ore piles does not contribute a significant problem to
personnel or operation in this area. During a condition of high wind
and dry periods, the ore piles are wetted by mine water.
2.
Tailings Dust
Since the mill tailings are primarily under water, dusting has not
been observed. The tailings around the edges of the pond which have
dryed out have a stabilizing residue (principally gypsum) which is
not subject to dusting. If necessary, a layer of coarse mine was te
will be spread over the older tailings not being wetted from the pond
water to reduce dusting.
3.
Ore Crushing Dust
All crushing is done by the wet crushing process and dusting is not
contemplated.
4. Dust from Hauling Roads
Some of the mill roads are paved and dusting in general is kept to a
minimum by watering the hauling roads during dry windy periods.
5.
Dust from Yellow Cake Drying and Loading
-
Vapors and dusts from this part of the milling process are passed
through air cleaning scrubbers with an air cleaning efficiency greater
than 99% for particulate matter. 1600 1800 cfm of air from the dust
collecting points, centrifuges, pulverizers, barrel loading room is
passed through the scrubber along with vapors from the dryer. Vapors
from the dryer are predominantly ammonia and water released at a rate
of 600-800 cfm. Any reduced scrubber efficiency is avoided as it not
only means a release of contaminants U30g to the environment but also
means a loss in mill product. During normal operation the applicant
estimates a loss of 0.0023 pound of yellow cake an hour to the general
environment.
IV-6
6.
Other Airborne Releases
Odors from process equipment, ammonia precipitators may on occasion
be noticeable close to the tanks in the mill process building, but are
rarely detected around the plant site. The leach tanks have air
circulators. The air is released to the atmosphere from the top of the
tanks and exhaust from the stack at the rate of 200 to 350 cfm per
tank. The design and operation is such that with the low air escape
velocity there will be very little, if any, carry over. Propane is
used for mill equipment and plant space heaters. The stack emissions
from these propane burners do not include contaminants such as so,
2
and are in compliance with the Wyoming Ambient Air Quality Standards.
The mobile equipment are standard diesel units burning low sulfur fuel.
All vehicles are maintained by the applicant to keep the amount of
exhaust fumes to a minimum. Approximately 100,000 gallons of motor
oil is used per year. In the past, this used oil was disposed of
by burning. This practice will be curtailed as a plan to sell the
waste oils is being formulated. Oil would be stored in drums and
loaded out by purchaser on a contract basis.
D.
Environmental Concentrations and Effect on Local Biota
1.
Radiological
Airborne radioactive effluents released from uranium mining and mill-
ing operations include dusts and vapor containing natural uranium and
its daughter products from ore piles, the tailing retention pond and
from the mill stack. Estimated quantities of the airborne radioactive
isotopes emitted from the major sources are tabulated in Table 7.
To obtain an approximation of the environmental concentrations of
radioactive materials resulting from the sources identified in Table 7,
the meteorological data supplied from the closest weather station at
Casper, Wyoming is used as reference since there is no local official
weather station available near the site. Calculations were made for a
point at which the expected maximum concentrations would occur; the
concentrations from the sources which would contribute to a Dose
Equivalent at the boundary in the direction of the prevailing wind
(Southwest); the concentrations from those sources which would
contribute to a Dose Equivalent at the Heward Ranch east of the site
when the wind is from the west; the concentrations from those sources
which would contribute to a Dose Equivalent at the Shirley Basin
Townsite south of the mill when the wind is from the north and the
concentrations from those sources that would contribute to a Dose
Equivalent at the boundary due west of the mill site when the wind is
from the east. In the calculations, the Gaussian plume modellº and
1
1
IV-7
TABLE 7
casion
, but are
Estimated Quantities
(a)
of Radioactive Effluents Emitted from the
Major Sources
Source
Effluent
Quantity (uC/sec)
Mill Stack
U308 (U-238+U-234)
Radon-22
1.6 x 10-4
5.6
lir
op of the
per
2scape
le is
ssions
SO,
dards.
ir fuel.
of
Stor
if
he
d
Exposed Ore
Natural Uranium
(U-238+U-234)
Thorium-230
Radium-226
5.0 x 10-3
2.5 x 10-3
2.5 x 10-3
Lead-210
Radon-222
2.5 x 10-3
30.0
Exposed Tailings
(Depleted)
Natural Uranium
(U-238+U-234)
Thorium-230
Radium-226
Lead-210
Radon-222
5.0 x 10-4
5.0 x 10-4
5.0 x 10-4
6.0
ill-
and
and
ctive
Tailings Pond
Radon-222
9.6
(a)
(a)
The estimates are based on the information from the applicant's
data and the guideline from "Environmental Analysis of the
Uranium Fuel Cycle", October 1973, U.S. EPA. 22
e 7,
t
al
a
IV-8
Turner21
diffusion coefficients for Pasquill type turbulence20 was applied
for elevated continuous point source and the method presented in
was applied for area sources. In performing the calculations,
an average neutral atmospheric stability (D classification according
to Pasquill) and an average wind speed of 5.95 m/sec were assumed in
all cases. In approximation, wind frequency data from Casper were
used for the directions of interest.
The point where the maximum concentration is expected to occur for
effluents from the stack from the mill is 790 feet. This distance is
well within the boundary of the mill. The concentrations of radon and
natural uranium encountered at this point equal 6.2 x 10-10 and
1.8 x 10-14 uC/ml respectively and are below the allowable unrestricted
area MPC's. Table 8 summarizes the estimated airborne concentrations
for the four locations considered to be of major impact. From Table 8,
it is observed that the radioactive concentrations calculated are well
below the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) as specified in
Appendix B, Table I and II of 10 CFR 20.
Estimates of the potential Dose Equivalent for an individual located
continuously for a year at one of the areas specified in Table 8 have
been calculated and are shown in Table 9.
The area surrounding the mine and mill is uncultivated and used only
for occasional grazing. The applicant maintains fences and gates in
the milling and tailing area to preclude animals from entering the
area. Though the tailings reservoir is not an ideal body of water for
migratory waterfowl to feed or drink from, waterfowl land on the pond
occasionally because it is located near the central fly-way between
Canada and the United States. It is believed that the waterfowl would
only use the pond as a resting place because of the high acidity of the
water. In addition, a small fresh water pond was created for fire
protection purposes and for diversion of birds from using the water
from the tailings ponds. Consequently, biological uptake of radio-
nuclides in the tailing pond by the waterfowl and animals and
subsequent entry into the food chain should be of little consequence.
The only significant radionuclide input into the aquatic system is from
the discharge of the mine water and water from the dewatering wells
into Spring Creek and subsequently into the neighboring streams and
rivers. This water is first discharged into a series of four settling
ponds through which the solids in the water settled out before flowing
into Spring Creek. In addition, the ponds are treated with barium
chloride to precipitate the radium. A water discharge permit has been
issued to the applicant by the Environmental Protection Agency to allow
the discharge of mine water into Spring Creek. The observed dilution
IV-9
TABLE 8
Estimates of Radioactive Concentrations
Concentrations (HC/ml)
Ra-226
Pb-210
Location
Natural Uranium
Th-230
Rn-222
1.7 x 10-15
8.5 x 10-16
8.5 x 10-16
8.5 x 10-16
1.9 x 10-11
Boundary,
(800 meters NE
of mili)
3.0 x 10-16
1.8 x 10-16
1.8 x 10-16
1.8 x 10-16
2.7 x 10-12
Heward Ranch
(8046 meters
E of mill)
1.7 x 10-16
1.0 x 10-16
1.0 x 10-16
1.0 x 10-16
1.6 x 10-12
Shirley Basin
Townsite (8046
me ters S of mill)
2.0 x 10-16
1.8 x 10-16
1.8 x 10-16
1.8 x 10-16
2.2 x 10-12
Boundary
(6150 meters
W of mill)
2.0 x 10-12
3.0 x 10-13
2.0 x 10-12
8.0 x 10-12
3.0 x 10-9
Unrestricted
Area (MPC)
IV-10
TABLE 9
Es timates of Dose Equivalents in mrem/year for Points of Interest
Location
Bone
Lung
1.9
5.7
Boundary, 800 meters
NE of mill
0.4
1.0
Heward Ranch, 8046
meters E of mill
0.2
0.5
Shirley Basin Townsite,
8046 meters S of mill
0.4
0.8
Boundary, 6150 meters
W of mill
IV-11
of radioactivity downstream from the point where the Mine Ditch enters
Spring Creek is shown in Table 10, along with single dilution factors
based upon stream flows. The concentrations of the radionuclides will
be diluted and exposures from uptakes through the food chain are expected
to be negligible in view of the small quantities of effluent released.
In addition, the applicant's environmental sampling program will provide
data which will serve as an indication of the possible entry of radio-
nuclides into the food chain.
2.
Non-Radiological
The quantities of non-radioactive materials being released to the
environment from the major sources in the milling operation are sum-
marized in Table 11. The buildup of these effluents in the environment
is not significant in view of the chemical and physical characteristic
of the contaminants and the low quantities involved. Therefore, such
release of non-radioactive materials does not have a significant impact
on the environment. The applicant is required to maintain the concen-
tration of non-radioactive effluents at levels consistent with the
present state-of-the-art in milling technology and will not exceed the
air effluent standards established by the State of Wyoming.
E.
Environmental Monitoring
1.
Air Monitoring Program
Airborne effluents from various processes will be monitored for total
particulate mass and U30g in the samples. Air samples will be taken
from both the inplant and the out-of-plant environment every 30 to 90
days. Around 31 air sampling stations are set-up around the mill area
and about 18 air sampling stations outside licensee's restricted area.
2.
Water Monitoring Program
In rder to determine if water is seeping under the dam in the tailings
pond, six monitoring wells have been drilled in a "T" pattern in the
Mine Creek drainage area downstream of the No. 4 tailings pond dam.
(Figure 13) Water samples are taken every 90 days and are analyzed for
uranium, radium-226, thorium-230, pH and nitrates.
Surface water samples are also taken at locations as shown in Figure 13
semi-annually and are analyzed for uranium, radium, thorium, Al, Br,
chlorides, F, Fe, A, NO3, pH, Zn, conductivity and hardness.
IV-12
and Thorium Downstream from Mine Ditch According to Simple Dilution and According to Observed Data
Observed Concentrations**
(Fraction of Mine Ditch Concentration)
Mean of
U
Th
Nuclides
1.00
1.00
1.00
0.63
0.45
0.73
0.39
0.27
0.31
0.19
0.20
0.17
0.07
---
0.04
---
---
TABLE 10
Dispersion of Radium, Uranium
Minimum
Flow
(g/min) *
Mine
Ditch
Dilution
Factor
Stream
Location
226Ra
Mine Ditch
Entrance to Spring Cr.
2,500
1.00
1.00
Spring Cr.
Entrance to L. Med Bow R.
4,500
0.56
1.12
L. Med Bow R.
Below confl. with Spring Cr.
22,500
0.11
0.27
Entrance to Med. Bow R.
24,000
0.10
0.13
Med. Bow R.
Entrance to Seminoe Res.
21,000
0.10
0.00
North Platte R.
Entrance to Seminoe Res.
149,000
0.02
Pathfinder Res.
278,000
0.01
*Minimum flow taken as 0.3 mean annual flow, except for Mine Ditch flow which is reasonably uniform. Minimum flow prevails from August
through March.
**Observed relative concentrations based upon data from USPHS, Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, EPA, Trapelo West, and Chemical and
Geological Laboratories.
IV-13
TABLE 11
Estimates of Emission Rates of Particulates and Non-Radioactive
Effluents Emitted from the Major Sources
Source
Pollutant
Quantity
Mill Stack
Particulate
(Uzºg)
502
20 lbs/year
Negligible
Negligible
NH3
Particulate
Boiler and Space
Heaters (Propane
gas used)
SO2
None
None
Negligible
Negligible
NOS
Hydrocarbon
Burning of Oil
Particulate
CO
Sulfur Oxides
Nitrogen Oxides
0.186 lb/hr
0.050 lb/hr
0.352 lb/hr
0.496 lb/hr
IV-14

o
3
7100
13
SPRING CREEK
7100
FOX CREEK
7050
m
PROPOSED SETTLING-
DAM
UTAH ROAD
PRESENT
DRAINAGE
}
7050
7200
a
ROAD DAM
기
​SHAFT
TAILINGS POND
NO. 4
FRESH WATER LINE
TAILINGS
15
POND NO. 3
7050
1077
AREA 2 PITS
FRESH WATER POND
7050
7000
WATER TOWER
SETTLING DAMS
7150
7060
7150
MILL ACCESS
-LITTLE MEDICINE
BOW RIVER
7150
COUNTY ROAD
7100
7050
7100
LEGEND
GETTY ROAD
MONITOR WELLS
VEGETATION & GROUND
SAMPLING STATIONS
AIR SAMPLING STATIONS
WATER DRAINAGE SAMPLING STATIONS
al
FIGURE 13 LICENSEE'S ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING LOCATIONS - SHIRLEY BASIN
IV-15
3.
Soil and Fauna Monitoring Program
A joint project between the State Department of Health of Wyoming and
the licensee is set up to sample soil and fauna semi-annually at
locations as shown in Figure 13. The samples are analyzed for gross-
alpha-beta in pc/gm.
F.
Miscellaneous
The project being conducted by the applicant at the Shirley Basin site
will not cause any real conflict in land use. Only 3200 acres of land
in a vast, relatively uninhabited area, will be restricted for about
10-12 years.
The very limited ranching and hunting formerly conducted
in the area will be restricted on the site but vast nearby substitute
lands will preclude any measurable impact on either activity.
will be a significant change in the local topography involving about
600 acres and 120 million cubic yards of earth from open-pit mining.
The land will be reclaimed and restored so that it will be difficult
to differentiate the mined area from other nearby areas.
The applicant had provided a trailer park facility for employees near
the site of the mining operations since 1957. In 1970 the applicant's
employees were moved to a newly formed structured community, Shirley
Basin Townsite, which contains approximately 200 mobile homes and
about 900 residents, and provides an integrated township complete with
schools, utilities, recreation areas, etc. for employees and families
of SBUM, the neighboring Petrotomics Mill and Kerr-McGee mine. This
planned townsite has encouraged mill personnel to join in the community
living and has precluded the growth of scattered dwellings in the areas
surrounding Shirley Basin.
A sewage treatment plant has been constructed at the SBUM site to serve
the needs of mining and milling employees. The system consists of
septic tanks and leach fields and was designed for a population of 360
people. The system has been approved by the Wyoming Department of
Health and Social Services. The effluent from the leach fields drains
to the tailings pond, where any effluents are contained along with the
waste disposal from the mill. Therefore, the sewage treatment system
does not produce any objectionable environmental effects.
A sewage system has been provided for the Shirley Basin Townsite to
serve 900 people in residence as well as cafeteria, school and other
service areas, making it adequate for the equivalent of 1000 people.
The system includes an oxidation pond east and downwind of the town-
site and has been provided with an area for any future expansion.
IV-16
The oxidation pond is fenced and has been approved and meets the
standards of the Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services.
G.
Accidents
Consideration has been given to the potential environmental impact
associated with types of accidents that could possibly occur in con-
nection with the SBUM activities. The accidents which would occur
are related to the tailings system, concentrate transportation and
fire.
1.
Tailings System
Under continuous service the tailings line has failed due to fluctu-
ations in temperature or ruptured due to blocked flow. When this
occurs the tailings material flow freely in the vicinity of the rupture.
In addition to regular inspection of the tailings line every 4 hours
during operation, and monitored every hour during swing, night, and
holiday shifts by plant security personnel, the area drainage for the
entire tailings line is directed towards the tailings pond (except for
a section under a plant road which is run in a protective 10" conduit).
The entire line is within the plant fence and any tailings liquid
release at a break in the line will run to the pond and any accumulated
solids (sands) are then removed with front end loaders and discharged
into the pond.
With this physical arrangement for area drainage and ease of removal
of spilled solids to the pond and the continuous surveillance of the
area, it is evident that no environmental impact is contemplated from
such failures.
While an earthquake could damage process equipment and pipe lines, the
probability for damage to the retention system is small as the mill is
located in Zone 1, characterized as a low frequency, low damage area
and with very low probability. Any damage that might occur would be
minor and not sufficiently severe to cause failure of the retention
system.
This conclusion is based on the applicant's engineering
assessment of the structural integrity of the dam, especially so in
its present configuration wherein the solid tailings sands have been
deposited on the upstream face, gently sloped to the center of the
pond, thus strengthening the dam structure.
Failure of tailings confinement by flooding is extremely remote in
view of the semi-arid climate of the area. Any flooding due to runoff
from snow melt in late spring is diverted or dammed off by haulage
roads, small earth dams in topographic gullies and contoured
IV-17
drainage ditches. The 3 foot free board from the water level to the
top of the dam now at elevation 7110 feet should provide adequate
safety from any operating error or equipment malfunction or natural
flooding due to a deluge over a short period of time.
2.
Transportation of Concentrates
Mill concentrates are shipped from the mill by truck and often trans-
ferred to rail for shipment to an UF conversion plant and could be
involved in an accident. The concentrate is packaged in 55 gallon
bolted cover, watertight 18 gage steel drums, in 44,000 pound lots.
The severity of the accident would determine the amount of concentrate
which would be released. A severe radiological safety hazard is not
possible since natural uranium which has a low specific activity (one
curie per 6615 pounds) is the only material involved. Also an average
of only 1 to 2 shipments of concentrates per week are made from the
mill.
In case of an accident and if spillage should occur, it would
likely be in the truck trailer or railroad car where identity of the
yellow-orange material, recovery and cleanup of the concentrate would
be easily effected. Spillage from barrels would be limited because
of the strong impact resistance of the containers and the high
density of the material would keep it localized. It appears that any
environmental impact from such an accident would be small.
3.
Fires
The concentrate drying system which employs a heating media oil, con-
tains 150 gallons which is capable of supporting combustion. The
majority of the building materials used are of a fire resistant
nature and the entire roof and sub ceilings are fitted with an over-
head sprinkler system meeting high protection risk insurance standards.
Lubrication oils and inflammables such as paints and thinners are kept
in separate storage buildings outside the mill building. Thus it
appears that adequate protection for prevention of any damaging fire
has been provided.
Two fires have occurred in the past six years of uranium industry plant
operation. The applicant has not had a fire in its uranium milling
operation. All plants suffering from accidental fires were relying
on inflammable solvent ion exchange circuit. The applicant's design
for the Shirley Basin mill employs a solid ion exchange system which
is fully enclosed and does not depend upon inflammable agents.
Investigations, by AEC Regulatory Operations of fires that have
occurred in the past indicate that dispersion of uranium was negligible.
If such a fire should occur, the surrounding area would be surveyed
IV-18
for uranium and contaminated soils removed and buried or recycled in the
mill circuit, thereby minimizing any environmental impact.
Ho
Reclamation and Restoration
Upon termination of the mill, the licensee has committed that the
buildings and equipment will be removed from the site and the terrain
essentially restored to its original state. The "beach" or solid area
formed by the tailings being deposited against the dam (allowing fines
and slimes to run out towards the center of the pond) progressively
moves upstream as operations continue. Incremental strips of this
"beach" are periodically be stabilized and reclaimed. The applicant
plans to place 18" to 20" of waste dump material and seeding with native
grasses and other vegetation. (However, the final thickness of the
waste dump material will be determined at the decommissioning of the
mill). Approximately 232 acres will be involved. The estimated cost of
this work over the next 10 to 12 years will be approximately $685 per
acre (approximately $160,000 total). The owner-operator of SBUM, Utah
International, recognizes the responsibility and obligation to complete
the stabilization and reclamation work and have included costs for this
in their present operating budget and actions are being carried out as
part of the plant operations. SBUM operations are being carried out in
accordance with Wyoming Open Cut Land Reclamation Act and has a State
permit. A bond has been posted to insure reclamation. The project
activities are reviewed on an annual basis by the State Land Commission
office and the amount of the bond is adjusted accordingly. The bond
amount is carried at a sufficiently high level to insure that the
activities can be completed. The Wyoming Open Cut Land Reclamation Act
has been interpreted to cover tailings areas and the applicant plans to
file a comprehensive plan for land reclamation and extend bond coverage
for tailing pond reclamation. With this arrangement of bond coverage
and review by the State annually, adjustments can be made to insure that
sufficient funds are available for tailings stabilization and land
reclamation upon termination of the project.
Provisions have also been made for the removal of mobile home sites at
Shirley Basin Townsite with the other companies. When all work in the
mines and mills is terminated, the units will be removed, the debris
buried, and land reclaimed by reseeding with native vegatation.
In addition, the tailings area is now fenced and after operations
cease, the applicant plans to maintain this exclusion barrier along
with adequate warning signs such that:
IV-19
Radiation monitoring of the area will be continued and
samples of vegetation will be periodically taken.
No dwellings or animal shelters will be allowed on the
area.
No removal of materials or use of tailings in construction
will be allowed. (Because of the remoteness of the area
and the compaction of the waste material on top of the
tailings, followed by vegetation growth, this should present
little problem.)
No roads, trails or rights-of-way will be allowed across
the restricted area.
Upon completion of patent proceedings relating to the mill site claims
the applicant will own all the property affected by the tailings, the
mill site, and the mine areas. Long term control will be maintained
over the property and restrictions will be written into any transfer
of title to insure that previously described protective measures will
be carried out.
.
To the maximum extent possible, the applicant plans to backfill the
mine pits using the overburden which has been removed. The No. 2 pit
west of the mill, largest of the 3 mine areas, will be depleted of ore
by 1979 and the mining of Nos. 1 and 3 southeast of the mill will be
completed in 1984. While the initial overburden from stripping the
No. 2 pit has been placed to the north and west and presently as new
sections are opened, the was tes are used for backfilling the mined out
sections. The long range program calls for grading the backfill to tie
into the waste dumps forming a gentle slope to the south east. This
portion of the pit which is below the local water table will become a
fresh water lake upon the return of the natural ground water levels
when pumping of the mine is terminated. The existing waste area has
been graded to gentle slopes and to contours similar to the existing
countryside. Top soil has been added and native grasses planted. Final
pit walls in portions of the pit that are not backfilled will be modi-
field to a gentle slope, enough to be safe for people and animals.
These surfaces and the backfilled surface will also be covered with top
soil and seeded to establish vegetation similar to the treatment of the
waste dumps.
Backfilling plans have not been completed for the two similar mine pits
Nos. 1 and 3 but it is contemplated that procedures will be similar to
that of No. 2 mine pit. Following reclamation and restoration, the
site will appear essentially the same as the general area except for
the one or two small lakes.
V-1
V.
ADVERSE EFFECTS WHICH CANNOT BE AVOIDED
The environmental effects which cannot be avoided are summarized as
follows:
Small quantities of radioactive and non-radioactive materials are
released into the environs surrounding the plant and small amounts of
U,, are deposited onto the mill property and on the vegetation and soil
3°8
in unrestricted area downwind from the mill. However, the release of
such small quantities does not cause a significant impact on the
environment. (See Section IV-D-1.)
The local ground water system due to mining operation will be slightly
disturbed for a period of 12-14 years. Since the area is sparsely
populated and remote, the impact is expected to be minimum.
The relocation of approximately 302 million cubic yards of earth and
the formation of tailing ponds result in a change in the local
topography. Following reclamation and restoration, this change would
probably be unnoticeable. (See Section IV-H.) There will be a change
of the plant life system in the immediate area of the mine and mill in
a period of 12-14 years. However, revegetation program suggested by
the applicant will definitely reestablish a vegetable life system in
the area. Changes in the animal life of the area are expected to be
minimum. Observations and programs to evaluate the census of animals
in the area will be continued so that any trends indicative of changes
in life system will be identified long before irreparable change has
taken place.
VI-1
VI.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHORT-TERM USES OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND
MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT OF LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY
The local short-term effects of the present and proposed activities
are those associated with the construction and operation of any large
ore refining facility. Release of radioactive and non-radioactive
materials are maintained at low levels, i.e., only a few percent of
applicable limits. A continuing environmental monitoring program
provides a basis for detecting and assessing any environmental impact
that might lead to long-term effects so that timely corrective action
can be taken if required. At the same time, it provides both a needed
energy source and several hundred full time jobs.
In the long-term, most local areas influenced by the mining and milling
activities will be reclaimed. The appearance of the reclaimed site
will be little different from the surrounding area with the exception
of one or two fresh water lakes which will be formed after backfilling
of the mine pits and the fenced area of the stabilized tailings.
VII-1
VII.
IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENTS OF RESOURCES
About 19 million pounds of U308 will be removed from ore for use in
nuclear power plants. In addition, about 232 acres of land will be
covered with tailings and probably removed from any further productive
use except perhaps for grazing.
1
VIII-1
VIII.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOS ED ACTION
A.
Alternate Mining Method
Mining the ore at the SBUM site by underground mining techniques had
been attempted. This involved sinking shafts and developing an under-
ground system of tunnels for access to the ore and for ventilation.
The short-term advantages considered were in the reduction of the
quantity of earth that would have to be moved and the amount of land
surface that would have to be disturbed. The land surface area
required for underground mining would be quite small, measured in tens
of acres as compared to hundreds of acres for open-pit mining. Also,
the total amount of earth that would have to be relocated would be
only a small fraction of that which must be relocated by open-pit
mining. From a long-term standpoint, however, the applicant's
restoration and reclamation program minimizes these advantages.
Inasmuch as the uranium ore zone occurs at a depth of 270 to 320 feet
below surface, and the overburden consists of poorly consolidated
sandstone and clays, high rates of water infiltration and roof and
wall supporting problems made the underground mining operation dif-
ficult and expensive.
Even without considering the cost of amortizing the mine surface plant
and the underground development cost, underground mining is estimated
to cost 50 percent more per ton of ore than open-pit mining. To offset
this higher cost, the cut-off grade between ore and waste will be
higher. Thus, about 20 percent of the ore that will be mined by open-
pit methods could not be mined economically if underground methods
were used. Moreover, lost time and accident statistics show that
underground mining is unfavorable as compared to open-pit mining and
that the radon exposure to underground miners is greater than to open-
pit miners.
B.
Alternate Mill Site
The mill could have been built at another site even though mining
activities would have to be conducted at Shirley Basin. This would
shift any environmental impact resulting from milling activities to
another site. However, it appears unlikely that another site could be
found where the milling activities would be as favorable insofar as
environmental impact at the SBUM site.
Milling the ore at an alternate site would increase the cost of the
uranium concentrate. The cost would depend on the location of the
alternate site but the unit cost for transporting ore is about five
cents per ton-mile.
VIII-2
C.
Alternate Mill Process and Equipment and Operating Procedures
While an alkaline leach process could have been used, the acid leach
circuit was selected as more effective for ores from this location.
The totally enclosed and contained ion-exchange system was selected
over the solvent extraction system in the recovery circuit to reduce
potential fire hazards from a large solvent inventory as well as
elimination of organic flammable fumes. In addition, the usage of
salt brine is potentially less hazardous than acid reagents required
with solvent extraction recovery. The use of one stage wet grinding
over the dry crushing with required dust collecting equipment was
considered more desirable from both economics and operation. The
capital and operating costs are more favorable and there is less
possibility of release of radioactive dus ts to the atmosphere.
D.
Alternate Reclamation Program
The present operation of using the overburden for backfill in the
mined out areas, grading and seeding is considered an acceptable program.
The only alternative would be to recover certain areas more quickly at
increased cost and less efficient mining operations.
E.
Alternate Tailing Pond Confinement
The operation of the tailings system wherein the effluent line from the
plant is routed so that any leakage or spill due to rupture in the dis-
charge line will drain to the tailings pond, and the location of the
pond upland of Mill Creek and the best geologically suitable area,
requiring only the single sided retention dam, provides the best
location on the site for effluent control. Any other location would
have required a 3 or 4 sided retention structure which is much costlier
and difficult to maintain. Underground recharge or injection of the
tailings to low grade ore bodies was rejected as an alternate as
extremely expensive and possible risk of contaminating aquifers and
other water sources at Shirley Basin.
F.
Alternate Mine Dewatering Schemes
The present method of discharging mine water and water from dewatering
well through a series of settling ponds has been found most economical.
An alternative to this method is to discharge the water back to the
mine but this would defeat the mine dewatering program and contaminate
the mine aquifers.
IX-1
IX.
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
.
The cost and benefit for the operation of SBUM are itemized in
Table 12.
A.
Benefits
The following benefits for the operation of the SBUM are discussed
and quantified insofar as possible.
1. The project will result in the direct employment of about 300
persons in Carbon County over the next 10-12 years. Gross annual
wages and benefits of employees at SBUM are expected to be about
2.5 million dollars. Employment opportunities in the area are low
and the population has been decreasing over the past decades.
Therefore, the project is providing an important economic boost to
local nearby communities.
2. The project generates about 400-500 thousand dollars per year in
tax revenues for local and state governments. These taxes provide
improved community services such as improved schools, roads, sanitary
facilities, and other public benefits.
3. Approximately 19 million pounds of uranium concentrates will be
extracted from the applicant's property for use in generating
electricity. Assuming present technology and efficiency of nuclear
power plants, this amount of uranium could be converted into sufficient
fuel to generate 1.38 x 10? megawatt days of electricity. This would
be sufficient to supply about one-sixth of the annual electrical
energy currently consumed in the United States.
4. Other natural resources (gas, oil, coal) will continue to be
conserved for use in other applications. The amount of uranium to
be produced at SBUM represents nearly 200 million tons of coal,
1 billion barrels of oil or 4.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas
based on present technology of generating electricity.24
5. The one or two small lakes to be created at the site will provide
a fresh water source in a semi-arid region. These lakes will probably
be used as a source of fresh water for livestock in the future if
the radium concentration is below acceptable limit and may also im-
prove the long-term recreational value of the area.
IX-2
B:
Costs
The expected social and environmental costs associated with the
SBUM are discussed below. For the most part these costs are not
quantifiable.
1.
The Land
While there will be a temporary restriction of use of about 3100
acres of land normally used by local wildlife and very limited grazing,
it is expected that after the land reclamation and vegetation plant-
ing, wildlife and sheep grazing will be experienced.
There will also be a change in the topography of the site involving
approximately 1610 acres and 150 million cubic yards of earth re-
sulting from overburden removal during open-pit mining. In view of
the restoration and reclamation program (Section IV) to be carried
out by the applicant, the 2870 acre site (excluding the tailings
retention system) is expected to be restored to its former productivity
upon completion of SBUM activities. The land costs are considered
to be essentially those associated with removing 3100 acres of land
from grazing for approximately 10-12 years which could be considered
to be valued at $0.75 per acre per year.
There will be created a stabilized tailings pile covering about 232
acres and involving 5.1 million tons of tailings containing solidified
waste chemicals and dilute concentrations of radioactive uranium and
its daughter products. This land will be restricted from use except
for possible grazing for an indeterminable length of time.
2.
Cultural and Social Considerations
There has been a slight increase in population and additional traffic
generated in connection with the SBUM project. Whether any real value
can be assigned to resulting changes in the cultural and social factors
of the area is debatable. However, the staff's judgement is that the
financial benefits to the area will outweigh the possible social and
cultural costs connected with the project. The company sponsored
townsite, which was developed for the employees and families of SBUM
and neighboring Petrotomics Mill and Kerr-McGee Mines, offers opportuni-
ties for an educational, cultural and social atmosphere normally not
available in similar remote areas.
IX-3
TABLE 12
COST-BENEFIT SUMMARY
Cost - Environmental Impacts
Land Use (acres)
Mining and Milling Area
Change of Topography
Recreation
Historic Sites
3100
Formation of one or two lakes
No adverse effect
No adverse effect
Water Use
Total Dewatering
Operation Use
Water Quality
3000 gpm
500-600 gpm
Aquatic Ecology
Insignificant quantities of
chemicals expected to
reach Spring Creek
Insignificant impact on
Spring Creek and Little
Medicine Bow River
No significant impact
Insignificant increase in
population dose
Insignificant impact
Ambient Air Quality
Radiation Exposure
Aesthetics
Benefits
Local Benefits
Employment
Direct - 300 individuals
-
$2,500,000/yr.
Local and State Tax
$400,000-500,000/yr.
National Benefits
Production of 1,0
Electrical Poweł Équivalent
3
19 million lbs.
1.4 x 10' megawatt days
7
IX-4
3. Ecological
The activities by the applicant result in small releases of chemicals
and radioactive materials into the environs surrounding the site. Be-
cause of the small quantities of materials involved and the dilution
and dispersion that now occur, and will continue for the life of the
plant, the potential environmental impact is not considered measurable.
Thus, the environmental and ecological costs are indeterminably small.
4.
Depletion of Natural Resources
The project will result in a permanent depletion of 19 million pounds
of natural uranium as a natural resource.
C.
Benefit-Cost Balance
The utlimate costs resulting from the licensing of the Shirley Basin
Uranium Mill are found to be: minor changes in certain social and
cultural circumstances in nearby communities; a temporary reassignment
of land use; the creation of a stabilized tailings retention system which
may have to be restricted for an indeterminable length of time; de-
pletion of a natural resource; a temporary (10-12 years) adverse
aesthetic impact from open-pit mining; and the discharge of small
amounts of chemical and radioactive effluents into surrounding environs.
The benefits are expected to be: the recovery of 19 million pounds of
natural uranium for use in generating electricity; stimulation of the
local economy through taxes and direct employment; the conservation of
other natural resources: (gas, oil, coal) for use in other applications;
and the creation of one or two small lakes in a semi-arid region.
While the summing up of the costs and benefits cannot have a purely
quantitative basis, the anticipated benefits appear to be substantially
greater than the environmental costs, which for a significant part have
already occurred. Because the applicant must apply the necessary
precautionary measures to minimize releases of effluents in accordance
with Commission regulations and must restore and reclaim the land
affected by his operations, adverse environmental effects are expected
to be far outweighed by the benefits to be derived from the project.
X-1
X.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.
Faulkner, R. L. Reserves, USAEC Report S-24-68, May 23, 1968.
2.
Utah Construction & Mining Co., Shirley Basin Uranium Mill,
"Environmental Report Operating License Stage", Docket
No. 40-6622, September 30, 1970.
3.
"Supplement to Applicant's Environmental Report Operating License
Stage", November 8, 1971. . Utah International, Inc., Shirley
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4.
"Supplemental Information Requested by the Atomic Energy Commission
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5.
"Supplemental Environmental Information Requested by the Atomic
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Larson, H. I. "Hanna, Laramie, and Shirley Basins" in Highway
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"Uranium" in Minerals Yearbook Vol. I-II, Metals, Minerals and
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8.
National Register of Historic Places Cumulative Revisions,
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"Unit Resource Analysis - Shirley Planning Unit," U.S.
,Department
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-
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X-2
13.
>
Kearl, W. G. Big Game Harvest and Land Use in Wyoming, Bulletin
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Wrakestraw, G., Game Bird Survey: Waterfowl Population Trend
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16.
Pruett Publishing
Leachleitner, R. R., Wild Mammals of Colorado.
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Peterson, R. T., A Field Guide to Western Birds, Houghton
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School of Mines Research Institute. (Contract of USAEC), (1971).
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,
(1961).
20. Pasquill, F. The Estimation of the Dispersion of Windborne
Material. Meteorol. Mag., 90, 1063, 33-49, (1961).
21.
Turner, D. B., Workbook of Atmospheric Dispersion Estimates.
USPHS Publ. 999-AP-26. National Air Pollution Control Admini-
stration, Cincinnati, Ohio, (1969).
22.
"Environmental Analysis of the Uranium Fuel Cycle", Part I
Fuel Supply. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oct. (1973).
23.
Gafafer, W. M., et al., Control of Radon and Daughters in Uranium
Mines and Calculations on Biological Effects, U.S. Dept. of
Health, Education and Welfare, Section 2, (1967).
24.
The Environmental Impact of Electrical Power Generation:
Nuclear and Fossil, Pennsylvania Dept. of Education, (1973)
under U.S. AEC Contract AT(40-1)-4167.
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