Good riddance, mill tailings

The long-awaited word from the the U.S. Department of Energy was welcome news, indeed. Some 12 million tons of radioactive waste in Moab will be moved away from the Colorado River.

The decision was a recognition of the profound value of the Colorado River, which supplies drinking water to more than 25 million people in the West. It also was a nod to a remarkable grassroots campaign that brought together scientists, environmentalists, Western water managers and elected officials to bring about progress in a decades-old issue.

Perhaps the strongest advocate was Mother Nature herself. River flooding in southern Utah earlier this year provided added impetus to move the tailings. The floods of the Virgin and Santa Clara rivers destroyed more than two dozen homes, damaged 30 others and caused an estimated $145 million damage to infrastructure such as roads and water systems.

For some, the floods in southern Utah were devastating. They illustrated that a flood of the Colorado River could be catastrophic. Researchers believe a flood would disperse mill tailings along the river's banks and sandbars, possibly contaminating drinking water for millions with ammonia, uranium, radium, lead and other toxins.

Research by the University of Utah determined through carbon dating that twice in the past 1,000 years floods have ripped through the river valley where the tailings now are stored. Leaving the tailings where they are is a recipe for disaster because scientists believe another flood eventually will occur.

Already, DOE research found that the mill tailings have leached between the tailings pile and the Matheson Preserve, which is located across the river from the tailings. The river has not acted as barrier to the contaminants.

Moving these tailings, remnants of uranium milling between 1956 and 1984, is long overdue. Beginning in 2007, the tailings will be moved to Crescent Junction, which is about 30 miles from the river. The project will depend on ongoing funding from the federal government, which will require continued lobbying from each of the parties that have worked with the DOE to this point. News agencies have reported estimates for the project between $300 million and $400 million.

Whatever the cost, moving the tailings will beautify Moab and help ensure the health of the Colorado River, a resource Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman wisely recognizes as "the lifeblood of the Southwest."