MISSION: Southwest Research and Information Center is a multi-cultural organization working to promote the health of people and communities, protect natural resources, ensure citizen participation, and secure environmental and social justice now and for future generations

CENTER NOTES

SRIC Conducts Uranium Tailings Reclamation Analysis for Cebolleta Land Grant Board

On the eastern slopes of Mt. Taylor, the 11,300 foot volcanic peak that dominates the skyline of much of west-central New Mexico, lies the 250-year old Cebolleta Land Grant. Nestled among the villages that are home to more than 350 land grant heirs and their families, sits the L-Bar uranium mill tailings pile. This facility, now managed by British Petroleum's Kennecott Energy subsidiary, has been undergoing reclamation for more than a decade.

The tailings pile is located on a portion of the original land grant acquired by the predecessor of Kennecott through "adverse possession" and is planned for eventual transfer to federal ownership for longterm monitoring and maintenance of the site. The land grant heirs are concerned about: (1) the demand by Kennecott that an additional 200 acres of remaining Cebolleta lands be transferred to Kennecott for incorporation into the permanent tailings disposal site; and (2) the environmental impact of the tailings on land and water.

Several types of problems have developed at the L-Bar site: First, the site has leaked and continues to leak tailings-contaminated fluid onto the portion of the land grant that Kennecott seeks to acquire. The seepage includes sulfate, chloride, selenium, uranium, and total dissolved solids. Second, the surface of the tailings pile has settled -- or sunk -- up to four feet across wide areas of the 180-acre site, due to the seepage of fluid from the tailings. Third, excess erosion and sedimentation have been found in the diversion channels carrying runoff from the tailings.

Kennecott has developed extensive plans for site reclamation upgrades to address these conditions. These plans include stopping all activities to remove ground water contaminants from the site and an application to weaken groundwater protection standards applied by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the New Mexico Environment Department. The company also continues to demand the transfer of a 200-acre parcel of the land grant for inclusion in the tailings sites. This parcel contains all of the area contaminated by the L-Bar facility seepage as well as the potential discharge points -- springs -- for that seepage. Kennecott will also substantially enlarge its diversion channels and increase the thickness of the radon-barrier cover over the tailings, including areas where the settlement has occurred.

After receiving the "L-Bar Uranium Mill Tailings Site Review" from Southwest Research and Information Center (commissioned this past summer to review and comment on the current status of the reclamation work at this site), the Cebolleta Land Grant Board will develop action plans to respond to the seepage problems, the alternative groundwater standards, the demand to transfer land grant acreage, and other concerns identified in the analysis.

— Paul Robinson