Moab tailings removal hits milestone, 136 containers shipped

MOAB — The U.S. Department of Energy Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project last week shipped 136 containers of mill tailings, the maximum number that can be transported in a single train.

The load was sent from Moab to a disposal cell 30 miles north near Crescent Junction.

The shipment held about 4,700 tons of tailings, bringing the total quantity shipped to more than 680,000 tons. More than 40 percent, or 278,000 tons using federal stimulus funding.

"Through the dedicated teamwork of many, we reached this milestone early," said Donald Metzler, federal project director. "This is a key marker in our effort to maintain safe, sustained shipments at this level."

In addition, construction of an underpass on State Route 279, which cuts across the Moab project site, was completed in December. The underpass is used by trucks hauling tailings containers to and from the rail loading area, helping to curtail more than 500 potential interactions with highway traffic each day. The underpass was also paid for by federal stimulus dollars.