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Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine Site
July 1, 2018
Background
The Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine site once operated
between 1953 to 1982 and was perhaps the largest open pit
uranium mine in the world. About 22 million tons of ore were
extracted from 2,656 acres of mined area. Historically, mine
reclamation work was first conducted by the Anaconda Copper
and Mining Company, a predecessor to the Atlantic Richfield
Company. Reclamation was later conducted by the Laguna
Construction Company under a U.S. Department of Interior
Record of Decision (ROD), which is a public document that
explains the remediation plan for a site. Elevated uranium
levels in surface water samples led the Pueblo of Laguna
(POL) to seek potential National Priorities List (NPL) site listing
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). See
Page 2 for more information on reclamation.
The Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine Superfund site was
placed on the NPL on December 12, 2013, making the site
eligible for cleanup under the EPA’s Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) program and authority. “CERCLA”, also known as
EPA’s “Superfund” program, addresses the nation’s most
complex hazardous-waste sites. Superfund responses are
conducted either as emergency response actions to reduce or
eliminate immediate threats to human health, or as permanent
remedial actions for cleanup.
A CERCLA Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) was
issued on July 1, 2017, which requires the Atlantic Richfield
Company to perform a CERCLA Remedial Investigation and
Feasibility Study (RI/FS) under EPA’s technical oversight and
approval. This Newsletter update was produced under EPA’s
Superfund Community Involvement process to update the POL
community on the current RI/FS actions taking place at the
site.
The ”RI” is intended to characterize the nature and extent of
any identified contamination at the site, and to assess any
related potential risks to human health and the environment.
The “FS” identifies, evaluates and recommends technical
options for cleaning up, or remediating, the site. Upon
completion of the RI/FS, a future remedy will be proposed by
EPA, and after public input, the selected remedy will be
confirmed by EPA in a Record of Decision (ROD .
Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study (RI/FS) Activities
RI/FS Activities Performed to Date
• Atlantic Richfield Company hired TREC Inc. to serve as
their environmental contractor. EPA hired Tetra Tech, Inc.
to provide technical review and oversight support.
• Scoping meeting and site visit with the three technical
teams (EPA, Atlantic Richfield Company, and POL
Environmental and Natural Resources Department) held
on August 2-3, 2017.
• The POL Community meets the technical teams at a “Meet
and Greet” held at the Pueblo Auditorium on September 6,
2017.
• Atlantic Richfield Company developed and submitted Draft
and Draft Final versions of the Preliminary Conceptual Site
Model (PCSM), an important planning document, which
were reviewed by EPA and the POL ENRD. See Page 2
for more information on the purpose of a PCSM.
• AR developed and submitted Draft and Draft Final Interim
Work Plans (IWP) to support the development of RI/FS
Work Plans to be reviewed by EPA and the POL ENRD.
See Page 2 for more information on the goals and
objectives of the IWPs. f w
cc
HO
W T
HE
SU
PE
RF
UN
D P
RO
CE
SS
WO
RK
S F
OR
CO
MM
UN
ITIE
S
Co
ntam
inated sites are
bro
ug
ht
to th
e a
tten
tion o
f EP
A b
y states,
tribe
s or th
e p
ub
lic.
STEP FIVE: P
RO
PO
SE
D P
LAN
/RE
CO
RD
O
F DE
CIS
ION
Afte
r inp
ut fro
m a
ny affecte
d state
or
tribe, and afte
r pu
blic co
mm
en
ts are
rece
ived o
n the
Propo
sed Plan
, a fina
l d
ecision on th
e re
me
dy is m
ad
e by EPA
in th
e R
ecord of D
ecision (RO
D).
T
EP
A cond
ucts a pre
limin
ary assessm
ent (P
A) a
nd a site investigation (SI). A
P
A
involves g
athering histo
rical a
nd cu
rren
t info
rma
tion
. The SI focuses on
samp
ling
to d
ete
rmine if th
ere
is a re
lease o
f hazardous su
bsta
nces. T
his info
rma
tion
is used to d
ete
rmin
e if
a site th
reat exists a
nd if furth
er
inve
stiga
tion is needed
.
STEP SIX: R
EM
ED
IAL
AC
TION
A R
emed
ial Design is developed
with
the
cleanu
p criteria
and
en
gin
ee
ring
req
uire
me
nts fo
r the
rem
ed
y selected in the
RO
D. T
he R
emedial A
ction includes bu
ildin
g th
e rem
edy.
40
• STEP THR
EE: N
PL LIS
TING
EPA
uses its Hazard R
anking S
ystem to
determ
ine
if the site
could be e
ligible for
listing
on
to the N
ational Priorities List
(NP
L) and e
ligible
for clean
up
under
Superfund rem
edial au
tho
rity. Sites are
added to the N
PL by Age
ncy ru
lem
aking
, w
ith public co
mm
en
t.
40
STE
P SEV
EN: C
LOSE O
UT A
ND
R
EM
OV
AL F
RO
M N
PL
Wh
en
Cle
anup Goals have been
me
t by achievin
g all o
bje
ctives, d
ata
is collected to su
pp
ort th
e d
ele
tion
o
f the
Site fro
m th
e N
PL Listing.
Sites a
re d
elete
d fo
rm th
e N
PL by
Agency r ule
ma
king, with
public
co mm
en
t.
INV
ES
TIGA
TION
& FE
AS
IBILITY
S
TUD
Y B
EG
INS
S
amplin
g is cond
ucted to
understand th
e n
atu
re an
d exte
nt o
f the co
nta
min
atio
n. T
he level o
f ri sk to
hum
an health
an
d th
e e
nviro
nm
en
t is qua
ntified
. Clea
nu
p o
ptio
ns are
developed to
address th
e risks. A
P
rop
osed P
lan is cre
ated with
a P
referre
d A
ltern
ative
cleanup plan.
STEP EIG
HT:
FIVE
-YE
AR
RE
VIE
W
An evalua
tion
is perfo
rmed e
very five
yea
rs to d
eterm
ine if the re
medy re
m
ains p
rote
ctive a
t sites n
ot clea
red fo
r unlimite
d u
se and un
restricted
exposu
re.
AT
AN
Y T
IME
DU
RIN
G T
HE
PR
OC
ES
S, S
ites ca
n be
refe
rred
to th
e Rem
oval P
rog
ram if a
n imm
i
ne
nt th
rea
t or e
nd
an
ge
rme
nt to
pu
blic h
ea
lth o
r the
env
iron
me
nt is pre
se
nt.
Th
is e
na
cts an imm
ed
ia
te R
em
ova
l Actio
n.
En
force
me
nt a
nd
Co
mm
un
ity Invo
lve
me
nt A
ctivitie
s o
ccur th
rou
gh
out th
e S
up
erfu
nd
pro
cess.
&EPA
Current RI/FS Activities Following are current RI/FS activities being performed:
Atlantic Richfield Company is finalizing the PCSM for
EPA’s approval. The Final PCSM will be completed
prior to development of, and will serve as a significant
basis for, the development and submittal of the RI/FS
Work Plans. See “What is the Purpose of the
Preliminary Conceptual Site Model?” below for more
details.
Finalize/approve/ Implement Interim Work Plans:
Atlantic Richfield Company is finalizing the IWPs for
EPA’s approval. EPA’s goal is for the field work
associated with the IWPs to be completed before the
end of the Fall 2018 field season. See “What are the
Goals and Objectives for the Interim Work Plans?”
below for more details.
Future RI/FS Activities
Interim Work Plan Field Efforts: EPA and the POL
ENRD are working with the Atlantic Richfield Company
on scheduling field activities associated with the IWPs.
Development of RI/FS Work Plans: Atlantic Richfield
Company will develop the Draft RI/FS Work Plans for
EPA technical review and comment. Atlantic Richfield
Company will then develop and submit the Draft Final
RI/FS work plans.
RI Field Efforts: Upon completion and EPA approval of
the Final RI/FS Work Plans, Atlantic Richfield Company
will initiate the RI field efforts. Work is anticipated to
begin in 2019.
What is the Difference Between
Reclamation and Remediation?
Reclamation restores land that has been mined to a
natural or economically usable state. Reclamation often
does not require quantifiable risk analysis prior to recla-
mation. Remediation addresses contamination-related
risks to human health and the environment to the extent
practicable, or above acceptable and quantifiable can-
cer risk ranges. Site reclamation efforts took place both
while the mine was operational and after the mine
closed. Previous reclamation efforts focused on mitigat-
ing hazards, restoring the areas disturbed by filling and
contouring, and returning it to natural landscape condi-
tions. The results of the RI/FS will help determine any
remediation that may be required.
What is the Purpose of a Preliminary Conceptual Site Model?
The Atlantic Richfield Company is developing a PCSM
to summarize what is presently known about the site
conditions, and to use that knowledge as the basis for
identifying what is not known. Site unknowns identify
what information is needed (“data gaps”) to fully
characterize the site. The RI/FS Work Plans are
developed to describe the RI activities to be performed,
specifically the collection of new site data for the
purposes of addressing the data gaps. The RI/FS Work
Plans outline the investigation goals and methods to be
used to evaluate how much contamination remains, the
sources of contamination, and how it is transported
within various site media, such as soil, sediment,
surface water, groundwater and air. This information is
then used to identify and determine where and how site
contaminants could potentially affect human health or
the environment.
The EPA commonly refers to contaminant migration as
defining the “fate and transport” of site contaminants.
Understanding fate and transport of site contaminants is
a key basis for supporting a remedy evaluation,
selection, design and implementation for a site.
What are the Goals and Objectives
for the Interim Work Plans?
The Atlantic Richfield Company developed five Interim
Work Plans (IWPs) to collect preliminary information
about the site to better inform the development of the
comprehensive RI/FS Work Plans. The following
summaries describe each of the IWPs:
Meteorological System Interim Work Plan: This
IWP describes efforts to identify an appropriate
location for setting up a meteorological monitoring
station (met station), which is comprised of
various instruments for measuring weather-related
information. Collection of long-term meteorological
data from the site, for example, how frequently and
how much rainfall or snowfall is observed on-site,
will help identify how erosion is affecting the site and
how contaminants in surface water and sediments
are moving in, and outside of the site boundaries.
Other weather conditions will be measured and
monitored, including 24-hour wind speed and wind
direction. This information will also better inform
efforts to monitor air for radiological exposure.
Air Monitoring for Radiological Exposure Interim Work
Plan: This IWP will improve the understanding of
current air quality conditions occurring on and near
the site. The initial work step is to determine the best
locations for setting up a network of instruments for
sampling airborne radioactive contaminants and
ambient radiation levels occurring on-site and that
could be migrating off-site.
Monitoring Well Inspection Interim Work Plan: This
IWP describes efforts to locate existing groundwater
monitoring wells on site and to assess their current
condition regarding potential future use in the RI field
efforts. The team will evaluate well construction,
physical integrity, total well depth, and well-screen
interval.
Visual Site Inspection Interim Work Plan: This IWP
describes efforts to visually inspect the entire site to
identify areas of concern related to erosion occurring
from former waste or protore piles. An additional goal
is to develop an initial understanding of the surface
water flow patterns and conditions in relation to
potential contaminant transport in surface water and
sediments.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Survey Interim Work Plan:
This IWP describes efforts to collect visual imagery at
the former mine site from an unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV). The objective of the survey is collect infor-
mation about the disturbed mining areas, including
areas within the former leased boundaries, and in-
cludes the Rio Paguate, Rio Moquino and Mesita
Dam. The UAV can access difficult and inaccessible
terrain more efficiently than land-based vehicles or
foot travel. EPA deferred oversight of this field effort to
the POL ENRD.
Contact US EPA Region 6:
Remedial Project Manager Petra Sanchez (214) 665-6686 [email protected] Community Involvement Coordinator Adam Weece (214) 665-2264 [email protected] For more information on the site see the following website: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/jackpile-paguate
Finalize/approve Preliminary Conceptual Site Model: