Monument Valley, Arizona (UMTRA Site)

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ARIZONA UMTRA SITES

The Monument Valley and Tuba City former processing sites are two of 24 uranium mill processing sites designated by the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act for remediation by the Department of Energy. During the 1960's, private firms processed most uranium ore in the United States for the Atomic Energy Commission, a predecessor of the Department of Energy. Congress passed the Act in 1978 in response to public concern regarding potential health hazards from long-term exposure to uranium mill tailings. It authorized the Department of Energy to stabilize, dispose of, and control uranium mill tailings and other contaminated material at 24 uranium mill processing sites and vicinity properties. For a general discussion of the UMTRA Program, see the overview presented in the New Mexico section of this report.

The cost estimate model used for this report provides costs for each of the UMTRA sites. All costs for waste management activities, program management, and relevant landlord activities attributable to the Department are provided for within the scope of environmental restoration. There are no Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act sites with either current or planned nuclear material and facility stabilization activity needs. Funding for all sites is 100 percent nondefense.

MONUMENT VALLEY, ARIZONA (UMTRA SITE)

The former Monument Valley mill and tailings site is on Navajo Nation land 21 kilometers (13 miles) east of Monument Valley Tribal Park in Arizona. It is located 27 kilometers (17 miles) south of the Mexican Hat site and is about eight kilometers (five miles) south of the Utah-Arizona border. The site covered approximately 37 hectares (90 acres); tailings were located in two piles covering about 12 hectares (30 acres). The older heap-leach pile covered about four hectares (10 acres). The newer tailings pile was cone-shaped, about 17 meters 55-feet) high, covered about eight hectares (20 acres) and contained over two-thirds of the tailings at the site. The site also contained the old mill building foundations, contaminated soil, and wind-blown material.

LOCALITY MAP

Estimated Site Total

(Thousands of Current Year Dollars)
	FY 1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Environmental Restoration	569	789	724	1,520	2,076	Grey shaded area reflects annual cost estimates for the first five years of the site BEMR Base Case (as of October 1995) and includes 3% annual inflation, see Readers' Guide.
1996 Appropriation	639			These levels reflect the current estimates for compliance with applicable statutes and agreements (as of March 1996), see Readers' Guide.
1997 Congressional Request		1,087
(Five-Year Averages, Thousands of Constant 1996 Dollars)
	FY 1996-2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	2025	2030	Life Cycle*
Environmental Restoration	1,051	4,921	5,934	10,620				112,626
* Total Life Cycle is the sum of the annual costs in constant FY 1996 dollars.

FACILITY MISSION

The mission of the Monument Valley, Arizona mill site was to provide uranium for the United States national defense program. The source of contamination was the residual tailings remaining after the uranium was extracted during the milling process. The mill was constructed in 1955 by Vanadium Corporation of America, and its successor, Foote Mineral Company, operated it through 1968. Before and during the milling operations, the site was leased from the Navajo Nation. When the lease expired in 1968, control of the site reverted to the Navajo Nation.

SITE MAP

The Environmental Management program is responsible for cleaning up surface and ground-water contamination at the UMTRA sites. The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act designated the residual radioactive material found at this site for cleanup and stabilization. The Act directed the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 40, Part 192) and the Department of Energy to perform the cleanup. It also assigned the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to oversee and certify the cleanup and license the completed disposal cell.

Pursuant to the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act, the Department of Energy entered into a Cooperative Agreement in 1983 with the Navajo Nation. The agreement outlines the roles and responsibilities of each party. The Department of Energy pays 100 percent of all costs (assessment and remediation) when the UMTRA site is on Tribal land. In addition, the Department of Energy is responsible for paying 100 percent of the Tribe's costs. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission concurred on the original agreement and must concur on all major modifications.

FUTURE USE

The Monument Valley site is located on Navajo Nation land and will remain under the ownership of the Navajo Nation following Nuclear Regulatory Commission site certification. A Custodial Access Agreement between the Federal Government and the Navajo Nation will allow access to the site by the Department of Energy to carry out the UMTRA Ground-Water Compliance Project. The affected Tribes will participate in any decisions made.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

Surface remedial action has been completed and the source of contamination has been stabilized. However, residual milling-related contaminated ground water remains.

Environmental Restoration Activities Cost Estimate

(Five-Year Averages, Thousands of Constant 1996 Dollars)
	FY 1996-2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	2025	2030	Life Cycle*
UMTRA Surface
Assessment	9							43
UMTRA Ground water
Assessment	373	169	108	267				4,579
Remedial Action	2	1,204	1,200	645				15,254
Direct Program Management/Support	668	3,548	4,626	9,708				92,750
Total	1,051	4,921	5,934	10,620				112,626
* Total Life Cycle is the sum of the annual costs in constant FY 1996 dollars.

Surface Project

Remedial action was completed in March 1994 at the Monument Valley former processing site. The remedial action involved relocating approximately 703,152 cubic meters (925,200 cubic yards) of residual radioactive material from the existing site to the disposal cell at the Mexican Hat site in Halchita, Utah. The consolidated Mexican Hat and Monument Valley tailings were covered with a radon barrier and a rock erosion protection layer to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards for longevity, control of radon emanation and ground-water protection. Four vicinity properties were remediated concurrently with site remediation activities. This report expects the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license the disposal cell at Mexican Hat in March 1997.

Major Surface Project Milestones

TASK	COMPLETION DATE Fiscal Year
Assessment	1996
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Licensing	1996

The Monument Valley Remedial Action Plan outlines the contaminant distribution and necessary remediation. The Remedial Action Plan, which requires Nuclear Regulatory Commission concurrence, was published in July 1988. The site Completion Report will be included as part of the site Certification Report. Since the tailings were removed, no further surveillance of the site is required under the Surface Project.

Ground-Water Compliance Project

The Department is developing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement pertaining to all 24 UMTRA sites. For a discussion of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, see the UMTRA program narrative in the New Mexico section of this report. Site-specific National Environmental Policy Act documentation will be developed to propose an appropriate ground-water compliance strategy and reasonable alternatives for the Monument Valley site once the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement is completed.

This cost estimate assumes an active remediation ground-water compliance strategy that involves extracting the contaminated ground water through pumping wells and applying the ground water via land application to make beneficial use of some ground-water contaminants. The successful application of this technology must ensure the contaminated ground water does not create an additional contaminant pathway. For all types of ground-water compliance strategies, once the Nuclear Regulatory Commission determines that the site is in compliance with Subpart B of the Environmental Protection Agency Standards and the site is certified, no additional long-term surveillance or monitoring will be conducted.

During operation of the processing site, an estimated total volume of 2.8 billion liters (750 million gallons) of ground water was contaminated and the contaminant plume currently extends offsite. The ground-water contaminants of potential concern are manganese, nitrate, strontium, sulfate, uranium, and vanadium.

The following milestone dates have been established for planning purposes.

Major Ground-Water Compliance Project Milestones

TASK	COMPLETION DATE Fiscal Year
Baseline Risk Assessment	1995
Site Observational Work Plan	2000
Publish Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impact	2001
Publish Remedial Action Plan	2003
Compliance Strategy	2014
Licensing	2015

Samples were analyzed for several constituents, including nitrate, the primary indicator of ground-water contamination. Several wells near the former mill and tailings pile areas have the greatest concentration of nitrate. In addition, these wells show relatively consistent nitrate concentrations over time, demonstrating plume migration downgradient from the contaminant source. This contaminated ground water has not affected domestic wells.

Direct Program Management/Support

Program management supports management efforts for the National Environmental Policy Act process, site characterization and licensing, public information/participation, applicable state and federal regulator costs, quality assurance audits, program and management support for the technical assistance contractor, special studies, document control, technical assistance contractor site and technical management, cost and schedule controls, planning and preparation of the federal budget, and the Environmental Management Progress Tracking System.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following table presents estimated funding information for the Monument Valley site.

Nondefense Funding Estimate

(Five-Year Averages, Thousands of Constant 1996 Dollars)
	FY 1996-2000	2005	2010	2015	2020	2025	2030	Life Cycle*
Environmental Restoration	1,051	4,921	5,934	10,620				112,626
* Total Life Cycle is the sum of the annual costs in constant FY 1996 dollars.