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ABANDONED URANIUM MINE RECLAMATION FOR DOE URANIUM LEASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Edward T. Cotter ~ . - . Rust Geotech*(1) ~ ~ ~ - - - U.S. Department of Energy Grand Junction Projects Office Grand Junction, Colorado __ ABSTRACT "'~ - The U.S. Department of Energy Grand Junction Projects Office has developed a process for the reclamation of abandoned uranium mine sites located on lands under its administrative jurisdiction. This process allows mine sites to be reclaimed in acost-effective manner while maintaining a practicable approach to the presence and cleanup of naturally occurring radioactive materials resulting from past mining activities. OVERVIEW The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grand Junction Projects Office (GJPO) currently administers 43 uranium lease tracts located in southwestern Colorado (38), southeastern Utah (4), and northern New Mexico (1) consisting of approximately 10,000 hectazes of land (see Fig. 1). These lands were withdrawn from the public domain, from 1948 until 1954, by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (predecessor agency to the DOE) to develop a source of domestic uranium ores for defense purposes. Subsequent to withdrawal, these lands were included in the Uranium Leasing Program. All of the mines were abandoned and many of the mine portals were temporarily closed when the Uranium Leasing Program ended in 1962. However, little else was done to reclaim the environmental disturbances resulting from the mining activities that occurred during this initial leasing period. As part of the present leasing program, DOE-GJPO adopted a policy for the reclamation of these undesirable environmental conditions. RECLAMATION PROCESS DOE-GJPO developed a process for the reclamation of abandoned uranium mines located on lands under its administrative jurisdiction. DOE's primary concerns for the reclamation of abandoned uranium mine sites aze • To eliminate all physical safety hazazds that have resulted from previous mining activities, including all mine openings and portals and all surface depressions that contain severe vertical drops of more than 1 meter. • To recontour the azeas of disturbance to blend in with the natural topography surrounding the site while allowing as much vegetation regrowth to survive, as practicable. • To redirect all storm water away from the immediate azeas where mine openings have been closed to eliminate the possibility of water flow and erosion into the mine workings and to contain and_ control all storm water that contacts the site. • To reduce _ `'',": ~ _'al far the general public's exposure to radiological materials, as much as practicable. ELIMINATE ALL PHYSICAL SAFETY HAZARDS DOE-GJPO will use methods approved by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for permanent closure of all mine openings and portals (shafts, adits, inclines, and vent holes). These methods include man-made bulkheads or backfilling with rock (waste-dump materials) from the mine site. Selective placement of material within the mine opening and portals, according to size, will enhance slope stability and preclude future sloughing of the materials after closure is completed. After closure, all depressions surrounding or immediately adjacent to the mine 1278-tab.doc