&EPA NORTHEAST CHURCH ROCKMINE SITE

:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Region 9 • San Francisco, CA • June 2009

US EPAAnnounces Public Release of Engineering Evaluationand Cost Analysis (EE/CA) and Announcement of 30 - Day

Public Comment Period and Public MeetingsThe U. S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has developed a cleanup plan to ad-dress potential exposure risks posed by theNortheast Church Rock Mine Site (Site)contaminants to protect human health andthe environment. In summary, EPA's prefer-ence is to move all the mine contaminatedmaterial to the United Nuclear Corporationmill tailings cells, to cap and line the wasteand to restore the mine site for grazing. Theplan and supporting documents are avail-able for public review and comment duringthe public cornmenr period that runs fromJune 12,2009 through July 13, 2009.

BaCkgroundThe Northeast Church Rock Mine Site(Sire), an abandoned uranium mine (AUM),is located about 16 miles northeast of Gal-lup, New Mexico. The Site is primarily ontribal trust land adjacent to the avajo a-tion Reservation, and a small portion of theSite is within the Reservation itself. The Sitewas mined by United uclear Corporation(UNC) between 1968 and 1982. UNCholds responsibility for current contamina-tion at the Site. Radium and uranium arethe contaminants of primary concern at theSite. Radiation and heavy metals in Sitesoils from historic mining practices maypose a significant risk to human health andthe environment. People may be exposedto these contaminants through ambient air,soil, surface water, sediment, and by eatingplants or animals that are impacted by theSite.

The Navajo Nation EPA (NNEPA) and theUS EPA have independently identified theSite as the highest priority AUM among the520 AUMs identified on the Navajo Nation.

This Site is the highest priority because itwas the largest underground uranium minein the country and radioactive waste pilescontinue to spread into [he wash and ontothe land surrounding several homes locatedadjacent to the mine.

The EPA is the lead federal agency at theSite working on the Engineering Evaluationand Cost Analysis (EE/CA) report, whichexamines the different alternatives for clean-ing up the site based upon information fromsite investigations, such as the Removal SiteEvaluation (RSE) report, that are docu-mented in the Administrative Record (boththe Administrative Record and the RSE re-POrt are discussed further in the SupportingDocuments section of this fact sheer). TheEE/CA provides circumstances, constraints,and costS for the cleanup plan options. "TheEEICA is available for public review andcomment.

Public Participation andthe Public CommentPeriodDuring the EE/CA Public Comment Pe-riod, the EPA will host two meetings. Thefirst will be an informal meeting open toanyone interested to answer questions aboutthe study and the proposed remedy alterna-tives, as well as the Site documents thatmake up the Administrative Record. Thesecond will be a public meeting where com-ments will formally be taken for consider-ation by the EPA with regards to the EE/CAand the Administrative Record. After thepublic comment period closes, the EPA willrespond to public comments in the respon-siveness summary that will be included inthe Administrative Record.

COLORADO

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UNC NORTHEASTCHURCHRO~C=K==~~~MINE '- vW

UNC SITE

RED ROCKSTATE PARK

CHURCH ROCK

HWY 40

Figure 1: Northeast Church Rock Mine Site Location Map.

2 Northeast Church Rock Mine Site

EE/CA PublicComment Period'Ihe EE/CA can be viewed at the Site in-formation repositories which are identi-fied at the end of this fact sheet or onlineat: www.epa.gov/region09/NECR

The 30-day public commenr period willrun from June 12, 2009 through July13,2009.

The EPA and NNEPA will host twomeetings: An informational meetingand a Public Meeting - Navajo inrerpre-ration will be provided at both meetings

On June 23 2009, from 6 pm ro 8pm,at the Pinedale Chapter House, wewill host an informal meeting to shareinformation and answer the commu-nity's questions about the Site and theproposed cleanup options.

On July 7,2009, from 6 pm to 8 pm~at the Pinedale Chapter House, we willhost a public meeting to briefly reviewthe cleanup alternatives, answer clarify-ing questions and provide the publicwith the opportunity to give verbal com-menrs on the EEICA and the Adminis-trative Record. Your commenrs will bedocumented by a court-reporter.

Non-Time CriticalRemoval ActionEPA is performing a Non-Time CriticalRemoval Action (Removal Action) un-der the Comprehensive EnvironmentalResponse, Compensation, and Liability Act(CERCLA) to address the threats to humanhealth and the environmenr at this Site. Toensure the appropriateness of the proposedactions, the EPA has completed severalSite investigations which form part of theAdministrative Record, and will considerand incorporate significant public com-ments provided to the EPA before cleanupactivities are to be performed. Some ofthe required documents that comprise theAdministrative Record are discussed belowin the Supporting Documenrs section.

At this current stage of the Removal Actionprocess, the EPA would like to raise publicawareness that the EEICA and the Admin-istrative Record are available for publicreview at the information repositories forthis Site.

1000 feet

Figure 2: Detailed map of Northeast Church Rock Mine Site.

Engineering Evaluationand Cost Analysis(EE/CA)'Ihe EE/CA is a documenr that summarizesthe hazards, evaluates the cleanup alterna-tives and identifies EPA's preferred alterna-tive for the Site. In this analysis, the EEICAreviews site conditions such as the volume,the toxicity and potential health risks as-sociated with the contaminants of concern,and the feasibility of the cleanup alterna-tives that comply with CERCLA and otherimportant laws and regulations, as well asthe associated costs of those alternatives.The EPA has identified its preferred alterna-tive. Regardless of EPA's preference, a finaldecision will not be determined until afterthe close of the public commenr period.After that date, the public commenrs will bereviewed, given consideration with respectto our decision criteria and addressed inwriting in a responsiveness summary.

Remedy AlternativesThe EPA has identified five potential waysto address the con rarninarion at the Site.The EPA may select a combination of alter-natives in its final decision.

1. No Action;

2. Excavation and disposal of all Site wastesat an off-sire facility;

3. Consolidation and covering of minewastes on the Site;

4. Construction of an above-ground cappedand lined repository on the Site; and

5. Consolidating the mine wastes in acapped and lined repository at the United

uclear Corporation (U C) mill facilitycurrently under license by the U.S. NuclearRegulatory Commission ( RC). either inan existing tailings cell or in a newly con-structed repository.

June 2009 3

Alternatives 3, 4 and 5 have the followingoptions:

/1- Removal of high-concentration "princi-pal threat waste" material (mine waste soilswith radium concentrations greater than200 pCi/g or uranium content greater than500 mg/kg) to an off-site facility that iscertified and regulated to accept this type ofwaste, or an alternative appropriate facility.

ll- Removal of "principal threat waste mate-rial" for containment in an existing reposi-tory on the UNC mill site, or constructionof a new repository at the UNC mill facilitycurrently under license by the U.S. uclearRegulatory Commission (NRC).

EPA's PreferredAlternativeEPA's Preferred Alternative is AlternativeSA. The primary elements of rhe PreferredAlternative include:

• Excavation and transport of all minewaste soil with radium above 2.24pCi/g, except in the ponds, where wewould excavate and backfill to a maxi-mum depth of 10 feet - which has beenshown to be protective of human healthand the environment;

• The waste to be consolidated includesore, waste rock, roads, buildings, foun-dations and adjacent soil, and contami-nated sedimenr;

• Consolidation, capping and lining inan existing disposal cell on the UNCmill site, or construction of a newcapped, lined cell at the UNC millfacility currently under license by theU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC);

• Principal threat mine wastes taken toan off-site licensed controlled disposalfacility, such as at Grandview, TO, or analternative appropriate facility: and

Restoration of the NECR Mine Sitewith erosion and storrnwater controls,

regrading and revegeration for futuregrazing;

• During the construction phase of thisremoval action, the EPA will conductair monitoring to ensure the work isbeing conducted safely.

The total cost for Alternative SA is esrimaredto be $44,300,000.

Supporting DocumentsThe Administrative Record is comprisedof a number of supporting documents thatchronicle Site investigations and serve asEPA's justification to address the hazardsposed by the current uncontrolled releaseof contamination at the Site. The entireAdministrative Record can be reviewed atthe Site information repositories identifiedat the end of this fact sheet. Some specificdocuments that support the EE/CA are:

PropfJrly Boundary

- - United NuclearMill Facilities Area(Decommissioned

1991-1992)

Pipeline Arroyo

Tailing Disposal

South Cell

SECTION 10

Removal Site Evaluation(RSE)

The RSE repon documents an intensivestudy of Site soils contamination that wasperformed in the winter 2006/2007. TheRSE presents the findings of rhe studyand identifies areas that are contaminatedby radionuclides associated wirh uraniummining.

Human Health RiskAssessment (HHRA)

This sire-specific HHRA indicates the needfor a response action to control releases andprevem exposure. Actual and threatened re-leases of hazardous substances from this Site,if not addressed by a Removal Action, maycontinue to present risks to public health, orwelfare, or the environment.

SECTION 38

QuivlraFacilities

\

North Cell/

-Borrow Pit No.1(Reclaimed) -

SECTION 2

"""Potential location for consolidation 0 Potential location of new repositoryof NECR waste (exact location TBD)legend o """ eoo

r-----<!Figure 3: Conceptial Plan of Preferred Alternative S and SA.

NORTHEAST CHURCH ROCK MINE SITE

US EPAAnnounces Public Release of Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EE/CA) and

Announcement of 30 - Day Public Comment Period and Public Meetings

US EPA Contacts NNEPA ContactsProject ManagerAndrew Bain (SFD 6-2)75 Hawthorne St.San Francisco. CA 941 05415-972-3167bain.andrew@epa.gov

Senior Public Information OfficerLillie LaneP.O. Box 339Window Rock. Arizona 86515928-871-6092hozhoogo _nasha@yahoo.com

Community Involvement CoordinatorLuis Garcia-Bakarich (SFD 6-3)75 Hawthorne St.San Francisco. CA 94105415-972-32371-800-231-3075garcia-bakarich.luis@epa.gov

Information Repositories

Octavia Fellin Public Library115 West Hill AvenueGallup. NM 8730 I(505) 863-1291

Navajo Nation Library204 Post Office Loop RoadWi ndow Rock. AZ 86515(928) 871-6376

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United States Environmental Protection AgencyRegion 975 Hawthorne Street (SFD-6-3)San Francisco, CA 94105Attn: Luis Garcia-Bakarich (NECR 6/09)

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