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A wind rose, generated from data collected by RME in 1983 from an on-site meteorological <br />station, was utilized to locate the sampling stations (Figure 4)'. Dominant winds are from North <br />through Northwest, particularly at night. Thus, the highest predicted air concentrations resulting <br />from proposed project activities would be at South/Southeast site boundary locations. <br />Additionally, Section 15, T9N, R67W (Plate 1) was chosen as the nearest residence (i.e., <br />"maximally exposed offsite individual") since that area is South/Southeast of the planned central <br />processing facility, and is expected to be at/near a site boundary. <br />2.4.2 Monitoring of Particulates in Air <br />The proposed ISR "mining" at the site takes place below-grade and, therefore, no radionuclide <br />particulates are generated under routine operations. The proposed mine design includes a <br />yellowcake circuit, however, modern vacuum dryers currently being used in the industry have <br />virtually no particulate emissions. Thus, the only potential releases from these mining activities <br />would be liquids from leaks and spills, and potentially radon gas2. The sampling location <br />requirements were adjusted to reflect the inherent difference between conventional <br />mining/milling operations and ISR. <br />Particulate matter (PM) monitoring was conducted for two categories. PM is the technical term <br />for airborne dirt; the two categories monitored for the proposed action included: PM 10 that <br />includes solid and liquid particles that are very small, having an effective aerodynamic diameter <br />of 10 microns (µm) (approximately 0.0004 inches) or less. PM2.5 is a measure of the particles <br />with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less. Conducting preoperational dust monitoring <br />allows the operator opportunity to design procedures and BMPs for site specific conditions in <br />order to control fugitive dust in such a way that provides preventative measures to be <br />implemented for the health and safety of personnel. <br />To characterize the representative particulate matter concentrations, background PMIO 3 <br />concentrations were monitored on a one-in-six day sampling schedule. PMIo was measured <br />using two co-located Tisch Environmental, AC-powered volumetric high-volume flow monitors, <br />that are U.S. EPA certified as a reference measurement method for PMIO. The two particulate <br />samplers are co-located, along with the tower with meteorological sensors, as shown in Plate 2. <br />1 The former meteorological station was located at Weld County Rd (CR) 100 just east of CR 19 and <br />approximately 6 miles east of the Wellington exit off Interstate 25. <br />2 Radon gas emissions, if any, will be continuously monitored during operations at the air monitoring <br />stations. <br />3 PM10 is the technical term for airborne particulates; it includes solid and liquid particles that are very small, <br />having an effective aerodynamic diameter of 10 microns (µm) (approximately 0.0004 inches) or less. <br />April 2009 8 Site Characterization Plan