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<br />.h"'_~." <br /> <br />B. Nonhazardous Waste <br /> <br />In Colorado, municipal wastes are generated at, the rate of approximately <br />2.7 million tons per year and are increasing proportionally as 'population <br />and generation rates increase. These wastes include nonhazardous <br />~.." industrial wastes. Liquid and sludge wastes are increasing as municipal <br />1 wastewater treatment plans enforce restrictions on discharges into sewage <br />~, <br />C) collection systems. Hazardous waste from small quantity generators are <br /><C' excluded from the requirements for disposal at designated hazardous waste <br />disposal sites under RCRA (the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery <br />Act) and contribute significantly to disposal problems at designated <br />landfills. Other liquid wastes are disposed or in waste impoundments <br />which may not be designed to prevent the contamination of surface and <br />groundwater. <br /> <br />Sludges from municipally operated wastewater treatment plants, when <br />disposed of in landfills, can cause environmental contamination. The <br />burial of this waste may create potential chemical and bacteriological <br />contamination of surface and groundwater, especially when sludge and other <br />wastes are intermittently or continuously in contact with groundwater. <br /> <br />Another potential problem related to landfills is the generation of <br />explosive methane gas as the wastes decompose. It is necessary to provide <br />venting and systems to control the generation and migration of dangerous <br />mixtures of gases from landfills. <br /> <br />Finally, energy and mineral development in Colorado will result in <br />increasing amounts of both solid and hazardous waste. The Waste <br />Management Division provides technical assistance and support to the Mined <br />Land Reclamation Division and Radiation Control Division in permitting <br />energy and mineral development facilities. <br /> <br />4. RADIATION <br /> <br />Radioactive health hazards are far more preyalent in Colorado than in all <br />but a handful of other states. This is a result of both naturally <br />occurring uranium and radium deposits and mining and industrial activities <br />involving radioactive materials. Colorado has some 3,000 active and <br />inactive uranium mines. There are two major active uranium extraction <br />facilities licensed. These are located in Canon City and Uravan. In <br />addition, there are several facilities for which licensing action is <br />pending, and one facility (Pioneer Uravan) which has been licensed but has <br />not yet begun construction. These facilities must be continually <br />monitored to ensure that excessive amounts of radioactive and toxic <br />materials are not being released into the environment. There are also a <br />number of inactive radium milling and processing sites in the State from <br />the early 1900's. <br /> <br />The possible public health dangers of low-level radiation from uranium ,and <br />radium tailings have been recognized only in recent years,. <br /> <br />-12- <br />