Annual status report on the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project

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DOE/EM-0001

Dist. Category UC-70

ANNUAL STATUS REPORT

on the

Uranium Mill Tailings

Remedial Action Project

December 1993

U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Environmental Restoration

and Waste Management

Washington, D.C. 20545

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ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ON THE URANIUM

MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section

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PREFACE

...

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INTRODUCTION . . . . 1

SURFACE PROJECT STATUS . . . . V. . . 1c1n1ty properties . . . . • . Certification and licensing . . . . Surveillance and monitoring . . . . Real estate acquisition . . . . National Environmental Policy Act process . . . . Quality assurance and Total Quality Management . . . . Environment, safety, and health . . . . Program planning . . . . Contractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Public affairs . . . . Cost Reduction/Productivity Improvement Program . . . . Other federal agency activities . . . . U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission . . . . U.S. Environmental Protection Agency . . . . State and Indian tribe activities . . . . GROUND WATER PROJECT STATUS . . . . 5 5 7 8 8 10 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 17 18 18 19 STATUS OF DESIGNATED SITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Belfield and Bowman, North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Durango, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Edgemont, South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Falls City, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Grand Junction, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Green River, Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Gunnison, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Lakeview, Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Lowman, Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Maybell, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Mexican Hat, Utah, and Monument Valley, Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Naturita, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Old and New Rifle, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Riverton, Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Salt Lake City, Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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ANNUAL STAT\JS REPORT ON ntE URANIUM MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Concluded)

Section

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Slick Rock, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Spook, Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Tuba City, Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

APPENDIX A FIGURES AND TABLES

APPENDIX B PROGRAM FUNDING

APPENDIX C COMMENTS FROM STATES AND TRIBES

ANNUAL STAT\JS REPORT ON ntE URANIUM MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT

Acronym

BLM DOE EPA ES&H ESAAB FY GJPO HO NEPA NRC ORE PEIS RAC ROCS SAFE TAC TOM UMTRA UMTRCA LIST OF ACRONYMS Definition

Bureau of Land Management U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency environment, safety, and health

Energy Systems Acquisition Advisory Board fiscal year

Grand Junction Projects Office headquarters

National Environmental Policy Act U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission operational readiness evaluation

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Remedial Action Contractor

Regulatory Oversight and Compliance Support Safety Advancement Field Effort

Technical Assistance Contractor total quality management

Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act

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ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ON THE URANIUM MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT

PREFACE

PREFACE

This is the fifteenth annual report on the status of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Projects. Through January 1, 1986, the report was published to meet the requirements of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA), 42 USC §7901

et seq.

Although the legal requirement for the report has expired, the DOE has continued publishing the report each year to inform the public of the status of the UMTRA Projects. It is the intent of the DOE UMTRA Project Office to continue submitting annual reports to the DOE Headquarters, states, tribes, and local representatives until completion of the Projects.

Title I of the UMTRCA authorizes the DOE to assess contamination at 24 designated uranium processing sites and conduct remedial actions to clean up the sites. The DOE is also charged with cleanup of properties in the vicinity of the sites where tailings were carried by wind, water, or human activity. Cleanup is undertaken in cooperation with states and Indian tribes within whose boundaries the sites are located. The processing sites are located in ten states. In addition, the UMTRA Project Office is responsible for cleaning up vicinity properties near Edgemont, South Dakota. The former Title II uranium mill site, which is owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, was remediated in the late 1980s.

This report describes activities completed on the UMTRA Surface Project and the UMTRA Ground Water Project during fiscal year 1993. It covers progress on Project-wide issues as well as activities specific to each processing site. The report also identifies Project goals for fiscal year 1994.

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INTRODUCTION

During fiscal year (FY) 1993, the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project Office made significant progress in all major areas of activity. With remedial action in progress at eight sites, the UMTRA Surface Project passed the three-quarters point in terms of contaminated material moved. At Falls City, Texas, the UMTRA Project site with the largest total volume of tailings and contaminated material, remedial, action was well ahead of schedule by the end of FY1993. At Grand Junction, Colorado, remedial action reached a major milestone with the end of the train haul from the Climax .mill site. Progress continued at the following sites: Old and New Rifle, Colorado; Gunnison, Colorado; Mexican Hat, Utah; Monument Valley, Arizona; and Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico. In terms of volume of tailings being moved and number of sites in remedial action, FY1993 was the busiest and most productive year in Project history.

Simultaneously with work on the active sites, efforts progressed toward U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing of the ten sites where surface remedial action has been completed. licensing requires that a long-term surveillance plan be completed for a site and that the plan be accepted by the NRC. A major milestone was achieved during

1993 when the NRC accepted the long-term surveillance plan for the Spook, Wyoming, site, thus completing licensing. By the end of FY1993, the long-term surveillance plans for six other disposal cells were in the review and comment response cycle.

Of the six sites where remedial action has not started, four are candidates for FY1994 construction contract awards.

In addition to significant progress on the surface cleanup, the UMTRA Ground Water Project also achieved major milestones. Scoping meetings were completed for the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). Meetings were conducted in an interactive, small group format, which produced an informative dialogue between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and citizens in UMTRA Project site communities. A draft implementation plan, incorporating public comments on the PEIS, was prepared and sent to the DOE Headquarters (HO). In addition, baseline risk assessments were started for six sites.

As one of the earliest of the DOE's environmental restoration efforts, the UMTRA Projects are demonstrating that major environmental cleanups can meet regulatory compliance requirements and reach solutions that protect public health and safety.

Major FY1993 accomplishments: Surface Project

• At Grand Junction, 123 vicinity property remedial actions were completed, bringing total completions at Grand Junction to 4141 , or 98 percent of the included properties.

• The train haul of tailings from the Climax mill site in Grand Junction to the disposal cell was completed; final cleanup of the mill site is expected by early 1994.

• At the Falls City site, consolidation of tailings was completed and placement of the disposal cell cover was started well ahead of schedule.

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ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ON TiiE URANIUM

MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT INTRODUCTION

• The Spook disposal cell was brought under the NRC's general license for UMTRA Project sites, after acceptance of the long-term surveillance plan by the NRC. This is the first UMTRA Project cell for which licensing has been completed.

• Project-wide environment, safety, and health (ES&H) protection efforts were

strengthened through the establishment of the Regulatory Oversight and Compliance Support (ROCS) Department of the UMTRA Project's Technical Assistance Contractor (TAC).

• Construction safety in the field was improved with the establishment of the Safety Advancement Field Effort (SAFE) program to provide experienced construction safety consultation.

Subcontractor loads tailings containers from the Climax mill site on the next to the last train hauling tailings from Grand Junction, Colorado, to the Cotter transfer point.

• A consent agreement was drafted and negotiations with the state have begun for handling commingled waste from UMTRA Project sites in Colorado.

• A categorical exclusion for the treatment of commingled waste at Grand Junction vicinity properties was completed and approved by DOE-HO.

• Consolidation of tailings began at the Ambrosia Lake site.

ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ON TiiE URANIUM

MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT INTRODUCTION

• Surface remedial action continued at Old and New Rifle, Gunnison, Mexican Hat, and Monument Valley.

• The NRC concurred on the Lakeview, Oregon, surface remedial action certification summary and completion report.

• Twelve programmatic and site-specific health and safety audits and radiological audits were conducted.

• Seven site-specific environmental audits were conducted.

• The preliminary draft of the Quality Assurance Implementation Plan was revised; work continues on the document, which is expected to be published in the first half of 1994. Major FY1993 accomplishments: Ground Water Project

• The UMTRA Project Office conducted 23 scoping and community assessment meetings for the PEIS for the Ground Water Project.

• A draft implementation plan for the Ground Water Project PEIS was completed by the UMTRA Project Office and sent to DOE-HO.

• The Technical Approach to Groundwater Restoration was completed for publication in November 1993.

FY1994 goals: Surface Project

• Complete surface remedial action at the Falls City and Monument Valley sites. • Complete surface remedial action of the Climax mill site in Grand Junction.

• Start surface remedial action at the Naturita, Colorado, site, and award construction contracts for the Maybell and Slick Rock, Colorado, sites.

• Continue surface remedial action on the sites at Ambrosia Lake, Old and New Rifle, Gunnison, and Mexican Hat.

• Pursue general licensing for seven additional sites at which surface remedial action has been completed.

• Obtain NRC concurrence on the Riverton, Wyoming, surface remedial action completion report and certification summary.

• Conduct 14 or more announced and unannounced health and safety audits and radiological audits.

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ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ON THE URANIUM Mill TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT

The Falls City. Texas. site (seen here from the air in August 1993) is one of three sites where surface cleanup is expected to be complete in FY 1994.

FY1994 goals: Ground Water Project

• Issue the draft Ground Water Project PEIS.

INTRODUCTION

• Conduct public hearings on the draft Ground Water PEIS and publish the final PEIS; publication of the record of decision is anticipated by December 1994.

• Complete ground water baseline risk assessments for 15 sites.

ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ON THE URANIUM Mill TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT

VICINITY PROPERTIES

SURFACE PROJECT STATUS SURFACE PROJECT STATUS

More than 75 percent of the vicinity properties included for cleanup have been certified, documenting successful completion of remedial action. The vicinity properties program continued simultaneously with mill site cleanup in FY1993, with the nur:nber of inclusions (vicinity properties eligible for remedial action under the Project) increasing to 5195 as new properties were identified. As the program continues to wind down, the total number of inclusion survey reports has continued to decrease, with 26 submitted in FY1993 (down from 36 in 1992). Remedial actions were completed at 81 vicinity properties, with 314 vicinity properties certified in FY1993. To date, 3943 vicinity properties have been certified. Of the remaining 1252 vicinity properties, 1076 require completion report

submittal and/or certification, 92 require radiological and engineering assessments, and 84 require remedial action agreement completion/approval or remedial action completion. A summary of vicinity property activities, by site, during 1993 is presented in Table A.4 of Appendix A. Of vicinity properties included for cleanup, only 43 of 4227 at Grand

Junction and 81 of 722 at other sites remain to be cleaned up. With the vicinity property program nearly complete, the UMTRA Project has removed most of the direct threat to human health posed by radon from uranium mill tailings.

Subcontractor breaks up concrete clump in a vicinity property pile at Grand Junction. Colorado. where nearly 98 percent of included

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Commingled waste

SURFACE PROJECT STATUS

At some vicinity properties in Grand Junction, tailings and other residual radioactive materials from the processing site have been commingled with hazardous wastes that are regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and/or Toxic Substances Control Act. Because different regulations apply to the two types of waste, disposing of these commingled wastes presents special problems. During 1993, significant progress was made toward solving those problems at Grand Junction. Since, in their current form, they cannot be disposed of in the Cheney disposal cell, several studies on small quantities of the material (bench scale studies) were initiated to treat the hazardous components of the residual radioactive material.

The first bench scale study is being conducted to study the effectiveness of solidification/ stabilization of material contaminated with metals identified in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act as hazardous because they may leach into ground water. Tests are being conducted to find the best formula for cement (i.e., portland cement, fly ash, and clays) to create a stable matrix and to evaluate the long-term performance of the solidified waste. Cement has been commonly used to solidify low-level wastes and is expected to prove effective for the leachable metals as well. A proposal for another bench scale study has been prepared for residual radioactive material contaminated with petroleum products (organics) and polychlorinated biphenyls. This study will evaluate the use of heat to turn the hazardous component to a gas that can be burned off.

To lay the groundwork for the full implementation of commingled waste treatment and disposal, a draft consent agreement with the state of Colorado was prepared by the Project, establishing program and waste treatment guidelines. The draft consent

agreement has undergone an internal review by the UMTRA Project Office, the DOE-HO, the Grand Junction Projects Office (GJPO), and the Chief Counsel. The agreement is expected to be completed in FY1994. In addition, a categorical exclusion for the

treatment of commingled waste was completed, precluding the need for an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement to be prepared.

Post-UMTRA

Typically, an UMTRA Project disposal cell is closed when all material from the mill site has been consolidated on the disposal site. The extent of vicinity property cleanup at Grand Junction, however, presents a unique problem. Some vicinity properties will not be cleaned up until after mill site cleanup is completed, and extensive use of tailings as infrastructure bedding material in the Grand Junction area makes it virtually certain that some additional tailings will be excavated in the future when roads or sewer lines are dug up for replacement or repair. This poses the question of where materials will be disposed of from vicinity properties, including roadways and other infrastructure. As a near-term solution for the handling of residual radioactive material, the DOE, the Colorado

Department of Health, Mesa County, and the city of Grand Junction selected to leave the Cheney disposal cell open after remedial action is completed at the Climax processing site for future placement of residual radioactive material. The NRC has concurred with the proposed action; however, it will require documentation of the procedural details of leaving the cell open. As a measure of cooperation, and recognizing the DOE's needs, Mesa

MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT SURFACE PROJECT STATUS

County has also stated its willingness to consider the disposal of vicinity property residual radioactive material from the other eight Colorado UMTRA Project sites if disposal sites locally available to them are closed. This alternative is viable only until the DOE's

authorization to perform surface remediation on UMTRA Project sites expires in 1996. The UMTRA Project Office is recommending the establishment of a post-UMTRA working group to identify and evaluate long-term solutions and alternatives to address the concerns and issues associated with post-1996 residual radioactive material.

CERTIFICATION AND LICENSING

The Spook disposal site was accepted under the NRC general license for long-term care, becoming the first UMTRA Project site to complete licensing. Significant progress was made in the licensing process for several other completed disposal sites. Licensing of seven additional sites by the NRC will be pursued in FY1994. Implementation of the new guidance document for preparing long-term surveillance plans and revised schedules for post-construction activities have streamlined the licensing process. The licensing plan for UMTRA Project disposal sites was updated with additional details in the licensing process and the applicability of the general license to the UMTRA Ground Water Project. Site

-specific real estate issues associated with requirements of the general license were defined and assigned to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for curative action, as necessary.

The prelicensing custodial care agreement and implementation plan for the transfer of site responsibilities to the GJPO were updated to reflect the current needs of both DOE Project Offices. As part of the site transfer process, the UMTRA Project Office defined the

contents of the long-term surveillance program site files to be transferred to the GJPO. Also, the UMTRA Project Office waived the requirement to review the GJPO draft site inspection reports. The UMTRA Project Office will review only the final annual inspection reports as they come from the GJPO in order to meet the reporting requirements specified in the NRC general license.

Several long-term surveillance plans were submitted to the NRC for review and acceptance during FY1993. The Lakeview, Oregon; Green River, Utah; Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; and Burrell, Pennsylvania, plans received comments. Revision was completed on the

Canonsburg and Burrell plans; the Green River and Lakeview plans were in the process of being revised. The Canonsburg and Burrell plans are currently awaiting acceptance by the NRC.

The UMTRA Project Office received NRC concurrence on site certification for the Lakeview site. The NRC continues its review of the Riverton, Burrell, and Canonsburg site

certifications. The UMTRA Project Office responded to the NRC's comments on completion reports for those sites and is awaiting concurrence on certification. The UMTRA Project Office submitted the Durango, Colorado, and Lowman, Idaho, site draft completion reports to the NRC for review and comment. These ongoing items directly affect licensing of the disposal sites and are therefore closely tracked.

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SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING

SURFACE PROJECT STATUS

The GJPO completed all prelicensing custodial care program disposal site inspections scheduled for 1993. No issues or corrective actions were identified. Routine maintenance activities included the repair and replacement of fencing and signs. Programmatic

responsibility for the Spook site was transferred to the GJPO in early FY1994. Therefore, it will be part of the DOE's long-term surveillance program instead of the prelicensing custodial care program. The GJPO now has full responsibility for compliance with the Spook disposal site long-term surveillance plan, as required by the general license. REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION

Real estate activities continued toward acquiring sites for future remedial action, obtaining rights of way for sites in the remedial action phase, obtaining rights for operation of

monitor wells after remedial action completion, and completing title documentation prior to transfer of completed sites to DOE ownership. The UMTRA Project Office requested that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) withdraw three separate areas containing 84 7 acres of public lands in Colorado for five years. These areas are proposed as the permanent disposal sites for the tailings at Naturita, Maybell, and Slick Rock.

A construction crew at the Gunnison, Colorado, site assembles a hopper system.

The areas requested were segregated by the BLM from the public land laws, including the mining laws, until requirements are completed for a permanent transfer of jurisdiction to the DOE. Once the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process is completed for each site, permanent transfer of jurisdiction will take place.

Field surveys were completed for the Naturita, Colorado, and Bowman, North Dakota, sites; the reports were delivered to the UMTRA Project Office.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Huntington District) received the funding necessary to proceed with two separate real estate actions. The first is the acquisitidn of perpetual and assignable easements to operate and maintain two monitor wells at Burrell and two

easements at Canonsburg. The second action is the title transfer for the Canonsburg site. This entails the procurement and review of preliminary title evidence and the acceptance of title on behalf of the United States. The UMTRA Project Office forwarded letters to the states of Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, requesting that they forward title documentation on completed sites to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Omaha) for review. This review initiates the title transfer required prior to site licensing.

The Remedial Action Contractor (RAC) transmitted additional radiological survey data to the UMTRA Project Office addressing specific NRC concerns on a one-half acre parcel located at the southwest corner of the Durango processing site. The NRC's receipt and approval of these data will allow it to concur on the title transfer of the parcel to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalized the acquisition of the Zee No. 1 mining claim associated with the buffer zone at the Spook site. The completion of this action removed the last remaining major encumbrance from the title to the disposal site.

The state of Colorado is proceeding with the acquisition of the Maybell site. Land appraisal reports were completed for each of the privately owned properties. The

appraisals were reviewed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Omaha District) to ensure that correct appraisal techniques and procedures were followed. A portion of the site property is under the jurisdiction of the BLM. This portion will be transferred to the DOE upon submittal to the BLM of a permanent withdrawal application and upon the publication of the finding of no significant impact in the Federal Register. A finding of no significant impact was transmitted to the DOE on October 15, 1993, and is currently undergoing DOE-HO review.

An agreement was reached with the Sand Extraction Company for the purchase of a 22-acre parcel lying between the Grand Junction processing site and the Colorado River. Remedial action began on this property in Novemtier 1993 and was completed in

December.

Rights of way for the realignment of Gold Basin Road and construction of the Tenderfoot Mountain Haul Road were acquired for all but one property near the Gunnison processing site.

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MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT _{SURFACE PROJECT STATUS}

The UMTRA Project Office forwarded an analysis to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responding to its concerns over meeting Army Regulation 200-1 , Environmental Protection and Enhancement, at UMTRA Project sites. Specifically, the analysis laid to rest the Corps' concerns regarding the need to generate additional NEPA documentation at those sites for which it has been tasked to transfer title. Army Regulation 200-1 addresses the need to identify hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste problems prior to conducting real estate-related activities at a site. The analysis concluded that the UMTRA Project is currently meeting or exceeding Army Regulation 200-1. Also, Army Regulation 200-1 should have little impact on the completed UMTRA Project sites, because the DOE would ultimately receive permanent ownership of the land. Therefore, it was the DOE's position that no further documentation is needed.

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT PROCESS

The UMTRA Project Office is responsible for complying with the NEPA. The NEPA requires that federal agencies prepare a detailed statement identifying and analyzing the

environmental impacts of a proposed action that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment. The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) directed the DOE to perform remedial actions that would stabilize and control the uranium mill tailings and associated contamination at 24 inactive uranium mill sites. Implementation of the UMTRCA represents a major federal action subject to the requirements of the NEPA. Therefore, a NEPA document is prepared before starting activities at each of the UMTRA Project sites. Types of NEPA documents include categorical exclusions, environmental assessments, and environmental impact statements. If an environmental assessment is prepared and no significant impacts are found, a finding of no significant impact is published.

During 1993, environmental assessments and findings of no significant impact were

prepared for the Belfield/Bowman and Maybell sites. The draft environmental assessments for the Naturita and Slick Rock sites were also completed. A categorical exclusion was prepared for commingled waste found at Grand Junction vicinity properties and for demolition of mill buildings at Naturita.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

The UMTRA Project Office continued implementing Total Quality Management (TOM) and further enhanced its already strong programs in quality assurance and in ES&H. During FY1993, independent review teams from the UMTRA Project Office and its TAC

conducted 21 quality assurance in-process surveillances of RAC construction activities and 13 audits of analytical chemistry subcontractors and participating organizations. The UMTRA Project Office and the TAC conducted five operational readiness evaluations (ORE) prior to the RAC's start of construction activities at each site. Conditions adverse to quality and Project requirements that were identified during these reviews were adequately addressed and corrected before they were closed out. Corrective actions implemented as a result of concerns identified during these audits, in-process surveillances, and OR~s resulted in increased effectiveness and quality of operations conducted in support of the Project.

During FY1993, independent review teams from the UMTRA Project Office and the TAC conducted 32 programmatic audits of the RAC's ES&H and radiological programs: 12 RAC health and safety audits, 7 environmental audits, and 13 radiological audits. Conditions adverse to quality, Project ES&H, and radiological requirements were identified during the audits. These conditions were adequately addressed and corrected before they were closed out. Corrective actions implemented as a result of concerns identified during these audits improved the overall ES&H and radiological programs conducted in support of the UMTRA Project.

Construction worker compacts sand bed during installation of a monument at the Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico, site. Ambrosia Lake was one of eight sites where remedial action was under way in FY1993.

Two independent technical reviews were conducted in FY1993. The first was an

extensive review of the UMTRA Project Document Control Center. The corrective actions identified will be implemented in FY 1994 as budget allows. TAC drilling procedures were reviewed by a second team, and the corrective action plan will be complete and

implemented by the end of the second quarter of FY 1 994.

The goal of the quality assurance program and TOM initiatives for FY1994 is to enhance the process for tracking and analyzing data obtained during quality assurance audits;

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in-process surveillances; safety and health, environmental, and radiological audits;

independent technical reviews; and self-assessments. The analysis of these data identifies activities and processes that require additional attention and actions to improve quality. The Assessment and Analysis Documentation and Information Tracking System data base was implemented on the UMTRA Project in FY1993. This on-line audit tracking system allows the audit teams to schedule their activities and prepare the bulk of their reports electronically. Action items or follow-up audits may also be readily tracked. In addition, the draft TAC self-assessment plan was completed in FY1993; its final version will be completed in FY1994.

ENVIRONMENT, SAFETY, AND HEAL TH

During FY1993, the UMTRA Project Office implemented an innovative program to enhance the Project's overall safety. The SAFE program employs two full-time senior staff

members under the Project Office's TAC. Traveling from site to site, SAFE team members act as "the eyes and ears" of the UMTRA Project Office. However, rather than taking on the role of an auditor, team members bring identified problems to the attention of the RAC site manager, then work closely with the manager to suggest on-the-spot solutions to the problems. Team members, who remain on the road up to 90 percent of the year, carry DOE and U.S. Department of Transportation regulations and standards with them when in the field and assist the site managers in interpreting this guidance. They provide health and safety advice and offer a variety of training and certification courses when needed to help bring a site into compliance with standards.

To augment its ES&H program, the UMTRA Project Office directed the TAC to create a ROCS Department to help administer and coordinate programmatic ES&H activities. ROCS, which is staffed with four ES&H professionals, supports the DOE ES&H staff in conducting internal programmatic appraisals and in developing and implementing programmatic planning and guidance documents. ROCS tracks and reviews ES&H regulations and DOE Orders that may affect the Project. ROCS is also responsible for maintaining the UMTRA ES&H regulatory operating envelope data base, which contains the mandatory criteria that are potentially applicable to UMTRA Project remedial actions.

The RAC has added a transportation safety specialist to help manage its transportation activities and a training manager to enhance its ES&H training program. The RAC has also added an ES&H manager at all active UMTRA Project sites to provide a focal point for all site ES&H activities and improve the coordination of those activities. The RAC has increased the level of ES&H oversight at sites by conducting more frequent ES&H

surveillances. Annual electrical inspections have been instituted at each site using certified electrical inspectors competent in the National Electrical Code. A safety steering

committee composed of ES&H, quality assurance, engineering, operations, and health physics professionals has been established by the RAC to deal with UMTRA Project safety issues. The committee interprets requirements and develops selected safety programs for UMTRA Project operations.

Washers decontaminate a tandem tailings trailer unit at the Mexican Hat, Utah, site as part of the UMTRA Project's ongoing program to protect human health and safety and the environment.

PROGRAM PLANNING

The UMTRA Surface Project remedial action is currently authorized by Congress through the end of FY1996; remedial action completion at current budget levels is scheduled to be completed in 1997. Licensing will be completed after completion of remedial action. In September 1992, the DOE Energy Systems Acquisition Advisory Board (ESAAB) approved a request by the UMTRA Project Manager to increase the Project's total estimated federal funding to $1350.8 million and to extend the end date of the project through FY1998. Based on the DOE's Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Five-Year Plan for FY1995 to FY1999, the Project Office submitted a FY1995 budget request proposing that the baseline total estimated cost be increased by approximately $25 million to $1375.5 (Table 8.1, Appendix B). The request also seeks an extension of the Project end date to accommodate the proposed delay in disposal cell closure at Grand Junction so that all vicinity property materials can be received (see Figure A.2, Appendix A). The cell would be left open until FY1998. This extension would also delay NRC licensing of the Cheney disposal cell at Grand Junction. Licensing could not occur until after FY1998. An

extension of the Congressional authorizing legislation will be requested to cover the additional time needed for completion.

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Mill TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT _{SURFACE PROJECT STATUS}

A revised UMTRA Project plan has been approved by the DOE's Albuquerque Operations Office and DOE-HO. The plan is kept current to accurately serve as the Project baseline document. It describes the UMTRA Project and establishes cost, schedule, and technical baselines against which overall progress and management effectiveness can be measured. The plan guides execution and clearly sets forth the essential elements of the Project. The revised plan supports the baselines approved by the ESAAB in October 1992. Changes will be incorporated in FY1994 to reflect the final FY1995 budget.

CONTRACTORS

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is the principal TAC for both the Surface and Ground Water Projects. The TAC is responsible for providing technical and management support to the UMTRA Project Office, including planning and design development; NEPA document preparation; ES&H procedures; quality assurance; public affairs support; and surveillance and monitoring planning for disposal sites. The TAC also acts as the integrating contractor for Project-wide management control and provides radon monitoring of the processing sites before and after remedial action.

Trucks are loaded at the processing site in Gunnison, Colorado, for the haul to the disposal cell.

MK-Ferguson Company is the principal RAC for the UMTRA Surface Project. The RAC is responsible for engineering and designing approved remedial actions, managing

Mill TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT _{SURFACE PROJECT STATUS}

construction activities, and accomplishing remedial actions. The RAC has used

competitively awarded fixed-price subcontracts for all mill sites (except Salt Lake City, Utah, which was managed by the state of Utah) and all vicinity properties (except Grand Junction, Colorado, and Edgemont, South Dakota, which are managed by the GJPO). The GJPO's prime contractor, Rust-Geotech, is responsible for engineering design and remedial actions for vicinity properties at Grand Junction and Edgemont; radiological data acquisition for vicinity property site characterization; and operation of the Technical Measurement Center. The other major UMTRA Surface Project contractor is Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which performs vicinity property inclusion surveys and independent vicinity property cleanup verification.

Contractor management plans provide the UMTRA Project Office detailed accounts of the methods contractors will use to meet their objectives for the remainder of the Project. PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ongoing involvement of interested state, tribal, and local groups is an integral part of UMTRA Project planning, and public forums are routinely planned at active UMTRA Project sites. During FY1993, a major part of the public involvement program focused on public scoping meetings as part of the preparation of a PEIS for ground water.

A DOE/states/tribes coordination meeting was held in April 1993 in Grand Junction. Cooperating agencies exchanged views on a wide range of Project issues, including

budgets, cost management, ground water cooperative agreements, health and safety, and long-term surveillance and monitoring.

During FY1993, 40 public and task force meetings were held at 15 different communities. They included 17 information and scoping meetings for the ground water PEIS in

Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, North Dakota, and Wyoming; 1 2 citizens' task force meetings and one public meeting in Grand Junction; five public meetings at Mexican Hat; two public meetings at Rifle; two public meetings at Falls City; and one public meeting at Naturita. Before the ground water scoping meeting, six

community assessment visits were conducted. In addition, the Project Office hosted a site tour for an Albuquerque television station at the Ambrosia Lake site May 11, 1993.

A total of 35 news releases covering various aspects of the UMTRA Project were issued during FY1993. Site-specific releasec; announced upcoming public meetings (including ground water scoping meetings) and site remedial action milestones. News releases were also issued announcing the international conference on uranium production site restoration in August and the licensing of the Spook site. Other public information materials prepared and distributed included issues of a monthly letter reporting site progress at Gunnison to members of the local community, 24 site-specific fact sheets on ground water, four fact sheets on programmatic aspects of the Ground Water Project, and a new fact sheet on the Surface Project. An audio tape summarizing the ground water fact sheets was prepared in the Navajo language for use by radio stations and chapter houses serving the Navajo Nation.

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During FY1993, the Project handled 173 news media contacts. Contacts included written or oral responses to inquiries, briefings on UMTRA Project status, and interviews. Media contacts resulted in more than 44 stories in newspapers, on radio, or on television and inclusion in a documentary broadcast by Salt Lake City television.

The UMTRA Project also responded to 87 public inquiries, most relating to site-specific issues or the ground water PEIS. Appropriate information materials were provided to inquiring members of the public. In some cases, site managers or other representatives of the Project Office or its contractors provided responses by telephone.

In addition to written information, the UMTRA Project Office also produced a short videotape to accompany the annual status report. The videotape was used to communicate Project progress through DOE-HO to Congressional and federal agency staffs. It was also presented to civic groups, state and tribal officials, and new UMTRA Project staff members.

The Project distributed the FY1992 Roadmap to stakeholders and submitted the FY1993 Roadmap for DOE-HO review.

A program to assist UMTRA Project personnel in communicating effectively with the public was continued in FY1993. Approximately 20 people with public communication

responsibilities completed the workshops. The UMTRA Project will continue the training in FY1994 as needed.

The UMTRA Project's leading international role in mill tailings cleanup continued in FY1993 with technical exchanges between the UMTRA Project Office and representatives of German and Australian uranium mill tailings cleanup projects. In February 1993, the Project hosted a briefing and tour of the Falls City UMTRA Project site for members of the German parliament who are responsible for legislation governing cleanup of uranium mines and mills in the former East Germany. In June, the UMTRA Project Office hosted a site visit at the Canonsburg site by members of Wismut, the German organization responsible for the cleanup of uranium tailings in the former East Germany. The international

exchange culminated in a week-long international conference on environmental cleanup of uranium production sites hosted in Albuquerque in August.

In addition to technology exchange with the Germans, the UMTRA Project Office hosted a multi-site tour for the principal environmental assessment officer of the Alligator Riv~rs Region, Australia, in December 1992.

COST REDUCTION/PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

The Cost Reduction/Productivity Improvement Program has reported an overall net benefit of $58 million since 1988, including $11 million for FY1993. During FY1993, the UMTRA Project received 1294 suggestions from 634 participating employees, reflecting a

participation rate of 60 percent. The goals for FY1994 include a net benefit of $5 million and a 38 percent participation rate.

Mill TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT SURFACE PROJECT STATUS

UMTRA Project personnel host members of the German parliament on a technology exchange visit at the Falls City, Texas, site.

OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY ACTIVITIES

U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

During FY1993, the NRC staff completed 53 reviews. These included 7 remedial action plan reviews, 4 inspection plan reviews, 11 remedial action plan modification reviews,

9 other site-specific reviews, 3 completion/certification report reviews, and 4 other

reviews. The NRC staff prepared two technical evaluation reports documenting its review of the DOE's remedial action selection for the Gunnison and Maybell sites and two

completion review reports documenting its review of the DOE's remedial action completion for the Lakeview and Lowman sites. In addition, six reviews of long-term surveillance plans were completed during FY1993. One of those reviews resulted in final acceptance of the long-term surveillance plan for the Spook site, making this the first UMTRA Project site accepted under the NRC general license for long-term care.

In addition to handling site-specific casework, the NRC staff visited many of the sites for various purposes. Inspections of remedial action in progress were conducted at the Gunnison, Falls City, Mexican Hat, Grand Junction, Ambrosia Lake, Rifle, and Monument Valley sites. NRC technical staff also conducted site visits associated with remedial action

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r

MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT SURFACE PRO-!ECT STATUS

During FY1993, NRC staff completed updates of guidance related to the UMTRA Surface Project remedial action. Procedures for on-site construction reviews at UMTRA Project sites were revised in February, and a revised standard review plan for review of remedial action plans was issued in June.

The preliminary activities for the UMTRA Ground Water Project continued during the year. As part of its role as a cooperating agency in the DOE's development of the PEIS for the

Project, NRC staff participated in a ground water technical working group established to

develop and review programmatic documentation. Development of an NRC standard

review plan and a standard format and content guide was started. These guidance documents will be used to ensure compliance with uranium mill tailings ground water standards, 40 CFR Part 192, Subparts A to C, and the proposed ground water standards,

52 FR 36000.

Periodic NRC/DOE management meetings were held during the year to improve UMTRA Project communication. These discussions of programmatic actions and issues will continue in FY1994.

U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the standards for cleanup and

disposal of tailings from inactive uranium mill sites on March 7, 1983. This fulfilled the

agency's main responsibility for the remedial action program under Title I of the UMTRCA.

On September 3, 1985, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit remanded to the

EPA the ground water provisions of the standards. The court instructed the agency to replace the qualitative recommendations with quantitative standards similar to those in the

standards contained in 40 CFR Part 192 for Title II sites. On September 24, 1987, the

EPA published the proposed replacement provisions in the Federal Register (52 FR 36000).

The UMTRA Project continues to work under this proposed rule until the final rule is published. In developing the final rule, the EPA used detailed information provided by the DOE for 17 of the 24 sites covered under Title I.

STATE AND INDIAN TRIBE ACTIVITIES

The UMTRA Project Office considers coordination with state and tribal agencies to be vital

to Project success. Periodic status meetings with state and tribal representatives on

UMTRA Project activities continued during FY1993. The Project has worked with four Indian tribes during remedial action and has two sites currently under construction on the

Navajo reservation. Excellent cooperation has been extended by all of the participating

states and Indian tribes. Negotiations are currently under way to modify existing

cooperative agreements with states and tribes to allow site characterization for the Ground

Water Project to start. Custodial care agreements with tribes for long-term care of the two

completed disposal sites on Indian lands are also under negotiation.

GROUND WATER PROJECT STATUS

During the UMTRA Surface Project, consolidation and isolation of the mill tailings not only

controls radon emissions but also controls the tailings as a source of potential future

ground water contamination. Under the Ground Water Project, ground water

contamination that occurred before completion of the surface cleanup will be addressed.

Several initiatives are part of this Project.

During FY1993, substantial progress was made towards completion of a .draft PEIS for the Ground Water Project. The PEIS will address issues that are common to all 24 UMTRA

Project sites. There are four elements in this effort. First, publication of an action

description memorandum during FY1992 signified DOE-HQ approval to proceed with the UMTRA Ground Water PEIS. Second, the DOE conducted public scoping meetings to help

define the content of the PEIS. Scoping is conducted in compliance with the NEPA to

provide interested members of the public, state and local governments, and other federal

agencies an opportunity to comment on the issues and alternatives to be covered in the

PEIS. From November 1992 through April 1993, the Project Office conducted 6

community assessments and 1 7 scoping meetings in eight states. More than 500

comments were received from the public.

Third, based on public comments, an implementation plan was prepared. This plan

includes a discussion and response to the scoping comments and an outline for the PEIS. The implementation plan also has a brief summary of the proposed action and the

alternatives that will be evaluated in the PEIS. Finally, during FY1993, an internal draft of

the PEIS was prepared. In addition to discussing the proposed action and alternatives in detail, the PEIS describes the 24 UMTRA Project sites, sets forth the potential health and environmental impacts expected from each alternative, and compares the impacts. The draft will be provided to the public during FY1994 for review and comment. Based on comments received from the public, state and tribal agencies, and the NRC, the draft will

be revised and a final PEIS published. After the comment period that follows the final PEIS

publication and distribution, a record of decision will appear in the Federal Register.

During FY1993, six draft baseline risk assessments were initiated. The baseline risk

assessments will be used to determine whether human health or environmental risks are present at the sites studied, or whether data gaps exist that make such a determination

difficult. Ultimately, the risk assessments will help determine what remedial actions are

needed based on both current and potential future risks. In support of baseline risk

assessment development, a special study was performed to review risk assessment

methodologies. Results of the study were used to refine the approach to baseline risk assessments completed in 1993 as well as future baseline risk assessments.

The Technical Approach to Groundwater Restoration was completed during FY1993. This document outlines scientific methods that will be used to characterize site conditions and

develop cleanup strategies.

Water sampling has been an important activity on the UMTRA Project since its beginning.

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MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT GROUND WATER PROJECT STATUS

Plans for UMTRA Sites was completed. This guidance provides Project staff with clear

direction on the design of sampling programs, which is especially important during this period when sampling is being performed for both the Surface and Ground Water Projects. The NRC/DOE Ground Water Technical Working Group met during April, June, and

September 1993 to discuss a variety of issues, including the PEIS, alternate concentration limits, the design of site characterization plans, and the use of computer models.

A conveyor system at the Gunnison, Colorado, disposal cell allows trucks to deliver tailings into the cell without entering the

contaminated area. The system increases efficiency by eliminating

MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT STATUS OF DESIGNATED SITES

STATUS OF DESIGNATED SITES AMBROSIA LAKE, NEW MEXICO

Surface remedial action at Ambrosia Lake was officially commemorated with a

groundbreaking ceremony October 7, 1992. The cleanup is on schedule for completion in

August 1995, even though workers encountered more windblown contamination than

anticipated. Approximately 1.44 million cubic meters (1.9 million cubic yards) of tailings and contaminated material have been moved through the end of the 1993 construction season. Cleanup is being completed by Gibbons & Reed, of Salt Lake City, Utah, under a $12.5 million contract. An issue of how to dispose of six drums of mixed waste was resolved; the drums were solidified and placed in the disposal cell in July 1993. Surface remedial action will continue through FY1994.

Workers place a drum of residual radioactive material from the mill in a trench in the tailings pile at Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico.

BELFIELD AND BOWMAN, NORTH DAKOTA

I

HA

1.:.

t'l

Remedial action is scheduled to start at the Belfield and Bowman sites in FY1996. The proposed remedial action, described in the final remedial action plan, will be to relocate the

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contaminated materials at Belfield to the Bowman site. There, materials from both sites will be consolidated and stabilized in a single disposal cell. The nine vicinity properties requiring remedial action will be cleaned up concurrently with site remedial action. A final environmental assessment for the sites has been submitted for final concurrence.

CANONSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

Remedial action at Canonsburg was performed from 1983 to 1985; FY1993 saw

continued progress toward licensing and ground water compliance. The Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started acquisition of the site for the federal

government. The final long-term surveillance plan for the Burrell vicinity property disposal cell was completed and forwarded to the NRC, completing documentation for site

licensing. The GJPO completed its annual prelicensing inspection of the site and recommended corrective actions to the UMTRA Project Office.

Plans were completed for drilling and installing eight new ground water monitor wells to provide additional data on ground water conditions for use in a baseline risk assessment. Well installation was completed during October 1993.

After a fall NRC visit to the site, the UMTRA Project Office ordered an evaluation of the stability of the Chartiers Creek bank. A report on the evaluation has been submitted to the NRC. The report recommends stabilizing a portion of the creek embankment where human activities have led to increased erosion. Two members of the German federal parliament also visited the site as part of a fact-finding tour to learn about community involvement in remedial action decisions.

DURANGO.COLORADO

Another of the completed UMTRA Project sites, Durango, also moved closer to licensing.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began acquiring the disposal cell site for the federal government, and the long-term surveillance plan was written.

The GJPO conducted the annual prelicensing inspection of the site, and the report, including corrective action recommendations, was sent to the UMTRA Project Office.

Planning for the baseline risk assessment was completed, including establishment of data collection objectives and scopes of work for drilling and installing monitor wells and · piezometers on the former processing site. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation submitted plans for locating the Animas/La Plata pumping station on the former raffinate pond area of the former processing site. (Tailings were removed from the processing site to a disposal cell during remedial action.) The plans were reviewed and comments were sent to the Bureau of Reclamation.

A study of the disposal cell toe drain was started to determine the flow rate in the drain and the moisture conditions inside the cell.

EDGEMONT, SOUTH DAKOTA

STATUS OF DESIGNATED SITES

All vicinity properties were remediated prior to FY1992. To date, 129 vicinity properties have been certified out of 135 requiring certification. Six vicinity properties remain to be certified.

FALLS CITY, TEXAS

Surface remedial action continued at the Falls City site and was well ahea<t of schedule by the end of FY1993. Some 2,616,998 cubic meters (3,443,418 cubic yards) of tailings and contaminated materials from three piles and one pond were moved. They were consolidated with tailings in three other piles and stabilized. By the end of FY1993, construction of the disposal cell cover had been started. Completion is expected by April 1994. A number of problems were resolved in the course of remedial action. After extensive evaluation, a pocket of thorium-230, just outside the southeast corner of the disposal cell, was excavated and placed in the cell. A method was developed to determine visually when excavation of tailings and contaminated material reached bedrock. In

addition, investigation of a seep near the north corner of the former pile three was

completed. As part of the ground water program, a baseline risk assessment was started.

Water control ditches and a specially designed "blanket" for a road crossing were among the environmental health protection measures used at the Falls City, Texas, site.

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ANNUAL STATUS REPORT ON THE URANIUM.

MILL TAILINGS REMEDIAL ACTION PROJECT

GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO

STATUS OF DESIGNATED SITES

In August 1993, the last train from the Climax mill site to the Cotter transfer point left Grand Junction. The end of the train-truck haul marked a major milestone toward

completion of the Grand Junction site. Since the start of construction, more than 3 million cubic meters (4 million cubic yards) of tailings and contaminated materials have been moved from the Climax processing site to the Cheney disposal cell. Following the last train haul, 15,000 cubic meters (20,000 cubic yards) or less of material remained to be hauled by truck to the disposal cell.

Removal of the tailings pile at the Climax mill site in Grand Junction, Colorado, was completed in FY1993.

The Mesa County Commission approved a change to a conditional use permit that was necessary to allow hauling to be completed by truck only. Final cleanup of the mill site and construction of the Cheney cell cover are continuing into FY 1994. A portion of the disposal cell will be left open to handle vicinity property materials and supplemental standards material that might be uncovered during remedial action. Of 4232 vicinity properties included in the cleanup at Grand Junction, 18 remained to be started by the end of FY1993.

Discussions are under way among the DOE, state, and local government about possible future use of the Climax mill site as a riverfront park.

GREEN RIVER, UTAH

At the completed Green River site, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began acquiring the

disposal cell property for the federal government. The GJPO conducted the annual prelicensing inspection and forwarded recommendations to the UMTRA Project Office. Work on the long-term surveillance plan was suspended until a neutron moisture monitoring issue is resolved.

Under the Ground Water Project, an ecological survey and domestic water use survey were completed for use in developing a baseline risk assessment. Planning also was completed for an aquifer pumping test to be conducted at the site.

GUNNISON, COLORADO

Remedial action construction continued with the start of contaminated material haul to the disposal site; approximately 150,000 cubic meters (195,000 cubic yards) of contaminated materials were hauled. The NRC concurred on the remedial action plan in September 1993. Concurrence was gained after additional subpile characterization studies were completed and the excavation protocol for subpile materials was revised. The remedial action plan was published in December 1993.

Construction of the alternate water system for the Dos Rios Subdivision continued and is ahead of schedule. The system will provide drinking water to an area potentially affected by ground water contamination from the processing site. It is expected to be fully

operational in April 1994. A ground water monitoring plan was prepared by the UMTRA Project Office and reviewed by the Colorado Department of Health; comments on the plan are being resolved by the UMTRA Project Office and Colorado Department of Health.

LAKEVIEW, OREGON

Final concurrence of the certification summary and completion report was received from the NRC in September 1993, moving this completed site closer to licensing. The UMTRA Project Office received the GJPO's FY1992 annual prelicensing inspection report in May 1993. The long-term surveillance plan was reviewed by the NRC and returned with comments. After discussions between the DOE and NRC over ground water-related concerns, the NRC revised its comments. The revised final long-term surveillance plan is scheduled for delivery to the NRC in early FY1994. As part of the Ground Water Project, the water sampling and analysis plan also was completed.

LOWMAN, IDAHO

Comments were received from the NRC on the preliminary final long-term surveillance plan for the completed disposal site in the spring of 1993. These comments were incorporated into the document and submitted for final NRC review in September 1993. Property title

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Idaho, and the DOE, and the state transferred the required title information to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for review in September 1993. These steps mark significant progress toward bringing the site under the NRC license.

MAYBELL, COLORADO

Maybell is one of six sites where surface remedial action has not begun. The preliminary final remedial action plan was transmitted for NRC and Colorado Department of Health review in June 1993. The ground water compliance strategy for the proposed action was changed from that presented in the draft remedial action plan and is now based on the application of supplemental standards; sections of the remedial action plan were revised to reflect the change. Comments were received on the remedial action plan in the beginning of September. Resolution of comments was started, and design modifications were being evaluated.

The final environmental assessment was transmitted to the UMTRA Project Office for review in September and was sent to DOE-HO in October 1993. Subsequent plans have rescheduled the construction start from April 1994 to March 1995.

MEXICAN HAT, UTAH, AND MONUMENT VALLEY, ARIZONA

Remedial action construction continued at Mexican Hat and Monument Valley. Most of the activity consisted of cleaning up the remaining vicinity properties and hauling

contaminated materials from Monument Valley to the disposal cell at Mexican Hat. During FY1993, 440,616 cubic meters (579,758 cubic yards) of contaminated materials were hauled to the disposal cell. Placement of the cover will start in FY1994.

The final remedial action plan covering the combined remedial action was transmitted for NRC review in March 1993. The UMTRA Project Office received the NRC's review comments in May, and responses were returned to the NRC. Currently, the NRC is evaluating the DOE's responses to its comments. While concurrence on the remedial action plan is still pending, none of the comments should delay completion of remedial action.

The draft baseline risk assessment for ground water contamination at Monument Valley

was transmitted for UMTRA Project Office review in September.

NATURITA, COLORADO

Naturita is one of the six sites where remedial action had not yet begun in 1993. This site is scheduled for a May 1994 construction start. A key decision in that start date was the agreement reached in January 1993 to pursue the Dry Flats disposal option rather than relocating the Naturita tailings to the Uravan Title II site. The agreement was reached among the DOE, the Colorado Department of Health, and the Naturita Citizen Advisory Committee. As a result of the decision, the TAC and RAC were instructed to restart design work and NEPA activities. The preliminary final remedial action plan was completed and submitted to the NRC and Colorado Department of Health for review in August 1993. A revised environmental assessment was completed and submitted to the cooperating

agencies for review and comment in July 1993. A joint site walkover was held in September, involving the DOE, NRC, Colorado Department of Health, TAC, and RAC. Demolition of mill buildings on the site is scheduled to begin in April 1994, with processing site remedial action to begin in May. The 1994 start date is contingent on resolution of issues raised by local citizens in public meetings in December 1993 and January 1994. UMTRA Project Office personnel are working with local government leaders to resolve these issues.

OLD AND NEW RIFLE, COLORADO

The excavation of the disposal cell at Estes Gulch was completed in November 1992 before the winter construction shutdown. The haul of tailings from the New Rifle site to the disposal cell began in late spring of 1993. Prolonged bad weather has put the haul behind schedule. Before winter shutdown, 637 ,324 cubic meters (838,584 cubic yards) of tailings and contaminated material were hauled to the disposal cell. To recover lost time, in 1994 the subcontractor will increase the number of haul units, increase the

number of haul days per week, and provide a method for loading and unloading two trucks at the same time.

Excavation of the Estes Gulch disposal cell was completed in November 1992. The cell began receiving tailings in June 1993 from the New Rifle, Colorado, site when remedial action resumed after the winter shutdown.