December 20, 1996
Water project at former mill site moving forward
A public meeting on the plan for a new water system in the St. Stephen's area is set for 6 p.tn. Monday, Dec. 30 at St. Stephen's Mission.
By Jennifer Hafner
Ranger Staff Writer
An alternative water supply for people living near the former Susquehanna-Western uranium mill site south of Riverton is being proposed by tribal and federal officials.
The plan entails constructing water lines from the water system near the Great Plains Store in Arapahoe to the homes in the former tailings area, according to Paul Lawson of Indian Health Services.
Where exactly those lines will run has yet to be decided, said Lawson. Officials plan to discuss alternative routes during a 6 pm. public meeting at St. Stephen's Mission on Monday, Dec. 30.
"There are several routes we could take," said Lawson. "We want to make sure we serve the people who want to be a part of this."
One alternative is to extend the lines beyond the former tailings area to 789 Bingo and surrounding homes, Lawson said, "if interest is high enough." He said the water supply in that area is high in sulfates, and people there are drinking bottled water. In total, there are about 85 homes that could be serviced by the new water system, said Lawson.
Meanwhile, 25 homes are near the former tailings area, according to Department of Energy project manager Ray Plieness.
Even though contamination from uranium mill tailings hasn't been shown to have reached groundwater tapped by residential wells in the area, the possibility of future contamination exists, he said. Most of the homes in the area are served by water wells at depths ranging from 300 to 400 feet. While test wells have shown contamination at levels no deeper than 60 feet, Plieness said "over time, some seepage along the well casing could potentially access that (contamination)."
Last spring, the DOE committed to pay for a new drinking system for the 25 homes, even though DOE thinks the possibility of future contamination is remote, said Plieness. However, it's not remote enough for us" to do nothing, he said.
The Susquehanna-Western uranium mill was operated south of Riverton near St. Stephen's Mission from 1957 to 1962. More than 1 million tons of tailings from the plant remained at the site on the Wind River Indian Reservation until 1988, when federal and state governments spent $34 million to move materials to the Gas Hills. Left behind in shallow waters beneath and around the 140-acre site are elevated levels of molybdenum, radium, selenium, uranium and other elements.
Plieness said people drinking those contaminants in their water over a short time period would probably not be affected.
"If you drank that water for a lifetime, it probably would impact you," he said. "What we want to do is eliminate that."
Plieness noted that much of the contaminant plume has moved away from the old mill and tailings site. Some of it has discharged into the Little Wind River. DOE officials are hoping the plume naturally flushes itself out over time, he said.
Currently, the DOE is trying to conform with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, in proving that the contaminants will naturally disappear within 100 years.
"In our preliminary studies, it indicates it will, but we don't have enough solid evidence yet," Plieness said. DOE will continue to monitor the plume every year, he said.
Funding for the new water project is divided among tribal and federal agencies. The DOE has agreed to contribute $1.3 million. Through a community development block grant, the Arapaho tribe will allocate $800,000 to the project, while IHS has committed $250,000.
IHS's money will partially fund a 1 million-gallon water storage tank, said Lawson. When the new water supply is installed, the value of land near the tailings area should increase. And that should trigger growth, Lawson said.
"We want to build for the future," he said.
DOE and IHS would like to see work on the project begin immediately, said Lawson. He estimates that it will take a year to complete, as one time-consuming hurdle is securing rights of way for the new water lines.