Show Agency Looks at Moving Toxic Waste Off Banks of Colorado River Janet Wilson Los Angeles Times Department of Energy officials officials officials proposed Wednesday t to o move an enormous pile o of f radioactive waste off th the e banks of the Colorado River Rive r re in southern Utah to th the e great relief of politicians environmentalists and southern south south- ern em California water officials The 12 million tons o of f residue from an abandoned uranium mill sits in a floodplain floodplain floodplain flood- flood plain of the Colorado which provides drinking water to an estimated 25 million people downstream in Los Angeles Las Vegas Phoenix and other cities throughout the Southwest Last year energy officials alarmed local residents members of Congress the Metropolitan Water Vater District of Southern California and others by indicating that the federal government might choose to cap the waste pile on site Energy officials said that option would be the least costly of several under con con- But Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman told his staffin staff staffin in a memo Wednesday that the preferred alternative would be to ship it to Crescent Junction an arid abandoned quarry site 30 miles to the north The US U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told the Department of Energy last month that the option of leaving leaving leaving leav leav- ing tons of radioactive waste next to the river was environmentally environmentally environmentally unsatisfactory and a a. a potential prolonged risk to public health The EPA comments were were- part of mounting widespread opposition from western governors governors governors gov gov- including California Gov Arnold Republican and Democratic members of Congress and others who said studies showed the pile could spill into the river during during during dur dur- ing a rainstorm contaminating ing drinking water for millions millions millions mil mil- lions of people Wednesdays Wednesday's announcement announcement announce announce- ment quelled many of those fears although a final decision deci deci- decision sion will not be made until later this year after a final environmental review We Ve are ecstatic This really is very very important t to us because of contaminates contaminates contaminates nates in the water in th the e Colorado River said Wes We s Bannister chairman of th the Metropolitan Water District Youre talking about a ve vewell very ry well known carcinogen ura ura- ura- ura and its it's just something something something some some- thing we just cant can't let stay i ithe in inthe inthe n the water Sen Diane Feinstein D D- D Calif expressed a similar view in a statement Wednesday This is the right action the only option that offers term long-term protection t to o the citizens of Moab Utah and the 25 million Americans who use the Colorado River Rive water downstream Larry Svoboda an EPA regional official said in a recent interview that the Crescent Junction site andone and andone andone one other possible destination destination destination destina destina- tion north of Moab had several sev sev- several eral advantages over capping it in place close to the drink drink- water ing-water supply The environmental advantage is that they've got all the fill material right at that site that they'd need to build the pit and the lining he said In addition both of the northern sites are on this very dense shale impermeable its it's hard for water to get through Its It's very dry and this area gets very little pre pre- Activists said floods this winter across the state on two smaller rivers brought home to officials how dangerous the Moab pile could be I k p part part it of it vas the thel I terrible floods in Sr StGeorge George Utah which made people realize what a river out of control can do two tiny little little little lit lit- tle rivers just ripped the whole community away said Bill Hedden a longtime Moab resident and executive director of the Grand Canyon Trust an environmental group So when people put that together and said gee this 12 million tons of See River continued on page 5 River Cont from page o A 4 inthe in inthe are right radioactive waste of the the floodplain Colorado then they realized the pile was in dire dang danger of ot washed into the water being supply for 26 million people proposal outlined outlined out out- Under the the officials lined by energy shipped out waste would be buried in a rail car and by hole at a acost acost covered lined clay million to cost of up estimated t Energy officials waste in m that capping the S place would be much cheaper about million But Joette Langianese a Grand County Utah council member who represents Moab said those estimates left out potential term long-term costs of cleaning up after a catastrophic flood if the pile composed of tailings from an abandoned uranium mill were to wash into the river Funding for the site has increased in recent years President Bush has requested 28 million for 2006 Langianese and some of her neighbors said they were a bit nervous about the process of moving the toxic pile out of town We do have a little bit of ol anxiety here because were we're going to uncover all this waste she said I am a little anxious about it but I feel perfectly confident that the health of our county will not be jeopardized by the Department of Energy Shipping probably would not begin until 2007 and could take until 2012 to com com- As much as gallons gallons gallons gal gal- lons of ammonia and other pollutants that currently leach into the water daily arc already being successfully treated energy officials said |