The Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project has achieved another 1-million-ton cleanup milestone, checking off a priority of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management for the year.
Office of Environmental Management
October 22, 2024
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At the Moab Site, haul trucks carry sealed steel containers of uranium mill tailings up to the hillside rail bench where they are loaded on train cars and transported 30 miles north to the disposal cell at the Crescent Junction site.
Achievement marks removal of a cumulative 15 million tons of mill tailings, completes EM 2024 priority
MOAB, Utah ― The Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project has achieved another 1-million-ton cleanup milestone, checking off a priority of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) for the year.
As of mid-October, the Moab UMTRA Project has removed and shipped a cumulative 15 million tons of uranium mill tailings from the Moab Site to a nearby disposal facility.
“Each year our team meets EM’s priority through innovation, attention to detail and hard work. Removing the mill tailings from the Moab Site protects the beautiful Colorado River and the Moab community, and allows EM to advance its cleanup and closure mission at Moab,” said Moab Federal Project Cleanup Director Matthew Udovitsch. “It’s exciting to see years of community and project partnership get the site so close to completion and ready for its next evolution.”
About 1 million tons of the contaminated soil and debris remain to be disposed of in an engineered disposal cell in Crescent Junction, 30 miles north of the Moab Site. The material resulted from legacy uranium milling operations.
EM is partnering with the community to determine an end state for the site and plan for its future use.
-Contributor: Barbara Michel
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