Moving Atlas pond risky, expert says

In situations of groundwater cleanup projects, some say it's better to let old dogs lie.

The decision of what to do with the Atlas uranium tailings in Moab comes down to "politics and public perception," said George Robinson, principal of R2 Incorporated.

The site has been a popular item of discussion in months past and was the topic of a breakout session in the Colorado River Basin Water Conference at the University of Utah Thursday.

Robinson presented his idea, which is to reclaim the pond containing about 13,000 tons of uranium in its place.

"All the studies occurring now are not worth the time and effort for a basically political position," he said.

When asked why the state should opt to move the tailings from the area, which is about 2.5 miles west of Moab, those attending offered such reasons as: protect waters contained in the Colorado River, prevent spreading in the incidence of flooding, maintain aesthetics and overall condition of the area, consider economic impacts and, of course, politics.

"This is going to be a political decision; it will not be a technical decision," he said.

Robinson, a technical expert in engineering services to the mining industry, has predicted surface and groundwater impacts before. He believes the uranium deposits leftover from the Atlas Moab Uranium mill, which was shut down by bankruptcy in the late 1980s, will have no impact on human life and moving the existing pond shows more risk than leaving it where it is.

The technical realities of the situation at hand, Robinson said, include the fact that surface and groundwater are naturally contaminated with uranium. He also said that wildlife has not been impacted so far and that removing the pond will have more impacts on human life than leaving it where it is.

"Groundwater standards will still not be met in our lifetime, nor our child's lifetime, nor their child's lifetime," he said. "It's a long process."

Robinson was one of about 20 presenters participating in the conference, which included such topics as water conservancy and management, effects of the drought in the West, the Colorado River and the Glen Canyon dam, and water quality and ecosystem preservation issues.

Jim Wechsler, Sierra Club Colorado River task force representative, said that in order for the public to make a difference in water conditions of the future, more of conserved water needs to be put back into the environment.