Church Rock, New Mexico - Uranium Mining

Uranium Mining

On July 16, 1979, the dam at a United Nuclear Corporation (based in Virginia) Church Rock uranium mill was breached and spilled 1,100 tons of milled uranium ore and 94 million US gallons (360,000 m3) of heavy metal effluent into the Puerco River. This was the largest release of radioactive waste in U.S. history, but until recently, no epidemiological studies were undertaken of the effects on the population. With the declining uranium market, two of the mines closed in 1983 and the third closed in February 1986.

In 2003 the Church Rock Uranium Monitoring Project was initiated by the Churchrock Chapter of the Navajo Nation to assess environmental impacts of abandoned uranium mines and build capacity to conduct community-based research with policy implications. Its May 2007 report found that significant radiation from both natural and mining sources remains in the area; the community is dedicated to remedy the problem as much as possible.

In 2005 the Navajo Nation prohibited any further uranium mining in the nation. In 2008 the US EPA and the Navajo EPA began a five-year plan to identify and ameliorate areas contaminated by uranium mining; their priority has been water sources and structures.