Tailings spill shuts down EnergySolutions project until Tuesday

A truck carrying uranium mill tailings from a Moab cleanup project headed by EnergySolutions tipped over and spilled some of the radioactive dirt last Wednesday.

The multimillion-dollar cleanup project directed at properly disposing of the 16 million tons of uranium tailings was suspended until Tuesday for a safety evaluation, EnergySolutions spokesman Mark Walker said.

"Safety is always our first priority," Walker said. "It's a self-imposed shutdown."

EnergySolutions, which was awarded the project nearly 18 months ago to haul the tailings 30 miles north of Moab, had been carting dirt up a haul road at the site Wednesday evening when the driver came too close to the shoulder and the truck tipped over, Walker said.

The driver was fine but taken to the hospital for a precautionary evaluation, he said.

Walker said the shutdown will not affect the project's completion timeline.

— Lana Groves