Warren I. Finch, of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), reports that since
World War 11, USGS scientists have provided information and data on which
accurate assessments of the Nation's resources have been made. Although the
United States has less than 15 percent of the world's reserves, more than 20
percent of U.S. electrical generating capacity is derived from nuclear power.
Uranium is one of the more mobile naturally-occurring radioactive elements,
found everywhere in varying concentrations, even in the bones and teeth of
humans. However, its radioactive products, radium and radon, can be natural
environmental hazards.
Uranium is mined by surface open-pit methods, underground methods, and by in
situ leaching. Today, all uranium mined in the United States uses the leaching
method, which is accomplished by injecting and retrieving a non-corrosive
solution in a well field over the ore body. The surrounding ground water is
closely monitored during and after the leaching process so that environmental
reclamation is essentially complete at the end of the leaching process. Modern
surface and underground mining operations include the cost of reclamation as
part of the cost of mining, so reclamation is accomplished during and soon after
mining operations cease. Additionally, Federal law now provides ftmds to reclaim
all major inactive and abandoned uranium mine sites.
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Future USGS uranium studies will insure a thorough knowledge base for
assessing uranium supply and potential environmental hazards associated with it.
The USGS plans a comprehensive program in collaboration with other bureaus
within the U.S. Department of the Interior to investigate inactive and abandoned
uranium mines in order to identify and mitigate environmental problems. The
investigation will use a multi-disciplinary approach to determine the degree of
contamination of surface and ground waters, soils, and air. Baseline conditions
before mining began will be established to guide remedial actions to reclaim
each site.
