DOCSLIB.ORG

Overview of Project CLEANS

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Overview of Project CLEANS Overview of Project CLEANS By Ian Wilson Environmental Remediation Manager 1 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Overview of SRC Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) – one of Canada’s leading providers of applied research, development and demonstration (RD&D) and technology commercialization – provides services and products to its 1,800 clients in Saskatchewan, Canada and around the world – SRC has four business divisions serving clients across these strategic Saskatchewan sectors: • Agriculture/Biotechnology • Energy • Environment • Mining & Minerals 2 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Overview of Project CLEANS Project CLEANS (Cleanup of Abandoned Northern Sites) – Started in 2007 – Managed by SRC Environmental Remediation Unit – Funded by the Province of Saskatchewan (Ministry of the Economy) and the Federal Government (Natural Resources Canada) – 38 Sites • 36 Closed mine sites • 2 Closed mills 3 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Uranium City Map showing Elliot Lake Ontario, panning out to Canada and focusing in on Uranium City 4 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar Mine and Mill Site Mapping showing Uranium City panning out and into the Gunnar Site 5 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar Location and History The Site is located 25 km south of Uranium City, on Lake Athabasca Operated from 1953-1964 Average grade was 0.18%. ~8.5 million tons of rock mined and processed Open pit and underground mine. Over 5 million tons of unconfined tailings The pit and subsurface workings were flooded, shaft plugged with concrete, and mine site abandoned All buildings, tailings, and waste rock piles were left on site “as is” 6 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar History 7 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar Environmental Legacy Uranium tailings were deposited 3 areas – Mudford Lake (Gunnar Main Tailings) – Gunnar Central – Langley Bay (Part of Lake Athabasca) All of the buildings were left standing A large amount of waste rock remains Water in mine pit 8 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar Environmental Legacy Wet Tailings Dry Tailings Buildings and Structures Mine Pit Waste Rock Piles 9 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar Work to Date Site studies (Ongoing since 2007) Buildings demolished (October 2011) Cleanup of demolition (September 2012) Environmental assessment submitted to regulators (November 2013) Environmental monitoring (ongoing) 10 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar Abatement and Demo activities 11 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar 2014 Plans and Goals Completion and submission for public review of the Gunnar Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Completion of field studies and choose preferred remediation options Initiate engineering design work for remediation 12 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Gunnar Going Forward Step 1: Finish Environmental Assessment Process Step 2: Finish site studies and choose remediation options Step 3: Engineering design for remediation Step 4: Remediation operations Step 5: Post remediation monitoring Step 6: Institutional Control Program (ICP) 13 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado Mill Site Pan out of Gunnar so Uranium City is seen and focus on Lorado site. 14 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado Mill Site Location and History The Site is located in northern Saskatchewan, north of Lake Athabasca, approximately 8 km south of Uranium City The Site was originally the location of a custom uranium milling operation commissioned in May 1957 and operating until April 1960 The Lorado Mill processed approximately 305,000 tonnes of ore which produced between 190,000 and 344,000 m3 of tailings material . 15 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado Mill Site Location and History 16 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado Environmental Legacy Tailings and mill process water were deposited in an area adjacent to the west shore of Nero Lake and some tailings were submerged causing: – Nero Lake to become acidic and no longer supporting a fish population – increase in metals concentration in the lake water – increase radiation level on the terrestrial (land) tailings 17 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado Environmental Legacy 18 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado Work to Date Completion and distribution for public review of the Lorado Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) –Completion of engineering field work and pilot water treatment study for finalization of remediation design Innovative procurement process (RFP) for selection of contractor with community input and maximization of local sustainability Mobilization of remediation materials and equipment to site 19 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado 2014 Plans and Goals SRC will continue to work with federal and provincial regulators to get all necessary licenses and permits needed to conduct the remediation work Preliminary borrow area preparation (removal of standing timber) in Spring 2014 Anticipated start of water treatment and cover system construction in June 2014 20 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Cover System Operations Till Cover Sand Cover Tailings as Fill Tailings 21 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Water Treatment System 22 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Lorado Going Forward Anticipated schedule to complete all remediation activities is 2 years Post remediation monitoring Site monitoring prior to entry into provincial Institutional Control Program (ICP) 23 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Satellite Mine Sites Pan out of Lorado site and show Athabasca regional map of all the satellite site. 24 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Overview of Satellite Sites Uranium mines and exploration sites Supplied Lorado mill and Eldorado mill Abandoned with little clean-up SRC contracted by province to manage the clean-up of 36 sites All but two are located north of Lake Athabasca, near Uranium City 25 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Environmental and Public Safety Legacy Openings to underground Radiation from spilled ore Buildings and buried utilities collapsing Asbestos PCBs Oil spills Metal and glass debris Unstable slopes 26 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Workflow for Satellite Sites Assess then plan clean-up Acquire approvals / permits from Ministry of Environment and Fisheries & Oceans Canada Manage reclamation contracts Monitor before and after; install signs Recommend long term monitoring Prepare closure reports Apply for release to provincial Institutional Control Program for long-term management 27 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Work to Date 28 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Satellite 2014 Plans and Goal Plans for 2014 – Install three stainless steel caps – Post remediation survey and clean up of several sites – Apply for transfer of seven sites to ICP – Desktop assessment of six sites to better understand risk of underground mine workings 29 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Satellite Sites Going Forward Plans for 2015 to 2020 and beyond – Design contracts for larger packages of work to provide opportunities for regional participation – Lake Athabasca and Beaverlodge group of six mines – Overland group of six mines – Two mines in Lac La Ronge Provincial Park 30 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 Confidential and Copyright © SRC 2014 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Selected Bibliography on the Geology of Canadian Deposits and Occurrences of Uranium and Thorium
    GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA COMMISSION GEOLOGIQUE DU CANADA PAPER 75-45 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE GEOLOGY OF CANADIAN DEPOSITS AND OCCURRENCES OF URANIUM AND THORIUM DENYSE M. GARNEAU Energy, Mines and Energie, Mines et Resources Canada Ressources Canada 1976 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PAPEP 75-45 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE GEOLOGY OF CANADIAN DEPOSITS AND OCCURRENCES OF URANIUM AND THORIUM DENYSE M. GARNEAU 1976 © Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1976 Printing and Publishing Supply and Services Canada, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9, from the Geological Survey of Canada 601 Booth St., Ottawa, K1A 0E8 or through your bookseller. r, i . »T .... „,- ... Price: Canada: $2.00 Catalogue No. M44-75-45 Othe_„ r countries:$2. !„ . 4.0„ Price subject to change without notice FOREWORD The only previous bibliography on the occurrence of uranium in Canada was compiled by J. W. Griffith and published by the Geological Survey of Canada nearly 20 years ago, in 1956. Shortly afterward interest in prospecting for uranium faded, to be revived for a brief period 19G6 to 1970, when much literature on Canadian deposits and occurrencesjias published. It appears likely that uranium will play a significant role in meeting Canada's energy needs in the future. To assist those con- cerned with uranium exploration a revision of the previous bibliography has been prepared. Miss Garneau was assigned the task of compilation of the new bibliography, which was based upon a file index built up since 1967 by Eric Smith, T. J. Bottrill, Andre Boyer, and H.W. Little. Miss Garneau has checked these references and added many herself.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparison of Granite-Related Uranium Deposits in The
    Ore Geology Reviews 117 (2020) 103319 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ore Geology Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/oregeorev Comparison of granite-related uranium deposits in the Beaverlodge district (Canada) and South China – A common control of mineralization by coupled T shallow and deep-seated geologic processes in an extensional setting ⁎ Guoxiang Chia, , Kenneth Ashtonb, Teng Dengc, Deru Xuc, Zenghua Lic, Hao Songd, Rong Lianga, Jacklyn Kennicotta a Department of Geology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada b Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada c State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, China d Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province of Applied Nuclear Technology in Geosciences, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Many uranium deposits are related to granitic rocks, but the mineralization ages are much younger, thus ex- Granite-related cluding a direct magmatic-hydrothermal link between the mineralization and the granites. Two such examples Uranium deposits are the Proterozoic “vein-type” uranium deposits in the Beaverlodge district in Canada and the Mesozoic granite- Beaverlodge related uranium deposits in South China. Both areas have been extensively studied, but the critical factors that South China control the mineralization remain unclear. Red bed basin The uranium mineralization in the Beaverlodge district occurs in quartz – carbonate ± albite veins and Coupled control breccias developed within and near major deformation zones, and are mainly hosted by ca. 2.33 – 1.90 Ga granitic rocks and ca. 2.33 Ga Murmac Bay Group amphibolite. These rocks are unconformably overlain by the Martin Lake Basin, which was formed during a period of regional extension in the later stage of the Trans- Hudson orogeny and is filled with red beds.
    [Show full text]
  • Former Gunnar Mining Limited Site Rehabilitation Project Proposal
    Former Gunnar Mining Limited Site Rehabilitation Project Proposal By Saskatchewan Research Council In collaboration with (KHS) Environmental Management Group SRC Publication No. 12194-3E07 April 2007 Former Gunnar Mining Limited Site Rehabilitation Project Proposal By Saskatchewan Research Council In collaboration with (KHS) Environmental Management Group SRC Publication No. 12194-3E07 April 2007 Saskatchewan Research Council 125 – 15 Innovation Blvd. Saskatoon, SK S7N 2X8 Tel: (306) 933-5477 Fax: (306) 933-7299 Former Gunnar Mining Limited Site Rehabilitation Project Proposal – April 2007 Project Description TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1.1. The Project 1.2. The Site 2. BACKGROUND 2.1. The Gunnar Mining Limited Site 2.1.1. Operating History 2.1.2. Open Pit Mine 2.1.3. Underground Mine Development & Operations 2.1.4. Mill 2.1.5. Production 2.1.6. Support Facilities 2.1.7. Closure 2.2. Current Disposition of Property 2.3. Current Land Tenure 3. THE PROPONENT 4. PROPONENT MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 5. PROPOSED PROJECT ACTIVITY 6. THE SITE 6.1. Location(s) 6.2. Regional Socio-Economic Environment 6.3. Local Socio-Economic Environment 7. EXISITNG/SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION 7.1. The Gunnar Site 7.1.1. The Gunnar Story, Canadian Mining Journal, July 1963 7.1.2. National Uranium Tailings Program (NUTP), 1986 7.1.3. Gunnar Site Characterization and Remedial Options Review, Saskatchewan Research Council, January 2005 7.1.4. Gunnar Site Characterization – 2004 & 2005 Aquatic Investigations, CanNorth, March 2006 7.1.5. Screening Level Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment of the Gunnar Site, SENES, March 2006 8. CURRENT SITE DESCRIPTION 8.1.
    [Show full text]
  • Tailings and Waste Rock
    Options Evaluation for Remediation of the Gunnar Site Using a Decision-Tree Approach T.L. Yankovich and A. Klyashtorin Copyright © SRC 2011 Some Relevant Concepts and Terminology: In general, orphaned or abandoned mines can be defined as: Those sites for which there is no owner, or the owner cannot or will not finance the costs of remediation. Responsibility for such sites typically ends up with Government (Provincial or Federal). There are >10,000 such sites in Canada, including a number of uranium mine/mill sites in Northern Saskatchewan. Reference: Tremblay, 2005 Copyright © SRC 2011 SRC is managing the Cleanup of the Gunnar, Lorado and 36 minor (satellite) abandoned mine sites in Northern Saskatchewan on behalf of the Provincial and Federal Governments under Project CLEANS. Remediation is scheduled for completion in 2018 with long-term monitoring to follow. Copyright © SRC 2011 Gunnar Uranium Mine/Mill Site: History • Operated from 1953-1964 • Average grade was 0.18%. • ~8.5 million tons of rock mined and processed • Open pit and underground mine. • Over 5 million tons of unconfined tailings • The pit and subsurface workings were flooded, shaft plugged with concrete, and mine site abandoned • All buildings, tailings, and waste rock piles were left on site “as is”. Copyright © SRC 2011 Key Aspects of the Gunnar Mine Site: Under Licence Exemption until December 31, 2016. Wet Tailings Dry Tailings Buildings and Structures Mine Pit Waste Rock Piles Copyright © SRC 2011 Project Objectives: 1. To eliminate or reduce public safety hazards and environmental risks now and in the future. 2. To develop sustainable remediation options that are technically and economically feasible.
    [Show full text]
  • Nuclear Avenue:“Cyclonic Development”, Abandonment, And
    humanities Article Nuclear Avenue: “Cyclonic Development”, Abandonment, and Relations in Uranium City, Canada Robert Boschman * ID and Bill Bunn Department of English, Languages, and Cultures, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB T3E 6K6, Canada; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 30 August 2017; Accepted: 2 January 2018; Published: 6 January 2018 Abstract: The rise and abandonment of Uranium City constitutes an environmental history yet to be fully evaluated by humanities scholars. 1982 marks the withdrawal of the Eldorado Corporation from the town and the shuttering of its uranium mines. The population declined to approximately 50 from its pre-1982 population of about 4000. This article is inspired by findings from the authors’ initial field visit. As Uranium City is accessible only by air or by winter roads across Lake Athabasca, the goal of the visit in May 2017 was to gather information and questions through photographic assessment and through communication and interviews with residents. This paper in part argues that the cyclonic development metaphor used to describe single-commodity communities naturalizes environmental damage and obscures a more complicated history involving human agency. Apart from the former mines that garner remedial funding and action, the town site of Uranium City is also of environmental concern. Its derelict suburbs and landfill, we also argue, could benefit from assessment, funding, and remediation. Canada’s 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report provides a way forward in healing this region, in part by listening to the voices of those most affected by environmental impacts caused not by a metaphorical cyclone but by other humans’ decisions.
    [Show full text]
  • IAEA Remediation of a Canadian Legacy Uranium Mine And
    2019-10-16 Remediation of a Canadian Legacy Uranium Mine and Sustainable Development in the Uranium Production Cycle Uranium Mining Remediation and Exchange Group (UMREG) Meeting 2019 7-8 October 2019 Chemnitz, Germany Brett Moldovan Team Leader, Uranium Resources and Production IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials Section Presentation Agenda • Sustainability and socio-economic guidelines for uranium mining (IAEA perspective) • Canadian case studies on the contribution of uranium mining to economic development: impacts on local and national economies – Gunnar uranium mine (historical perspective) – Current practices (evolution to present day) 2 1 2019-10-16 IAEA: 17 Goals for Sustainable Development “We are committed to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions — economic, social and environmental — in a balanced and integrated manner” - Heads of 193 Countries 3 Sustainability and mining in IAEA’s Member States Some mining-related sustainability concepts being discussed and/or implemented around the Member States – Energy, water and land efficiency, e.g. through better technology, recycling – Social impacts, social “licence” – maximizing the positives, minimizing the negatives • +ve: Jobs, taxes, infrastructure… • -ve: Pollution, ‘the resources curse’, land dispossession… – “Wastes” becoming resources, uranium/thorium/REEs as by- or co- product(s), “green” or “smart” technologies – Learning from the environmental and social mistakes of the
    [Show full text]
  • Gunnar Screening Project Proposal
    Former Gunnar Mining Limited Site Rehabilitation Project Proposal By Saskatchewan Research Council In collaboration with (KHS) Environmental Management Group SRC Publication No. 12194-3E07 April 2007 Former Gunnar Mining Limited Site Rehabilitation Project Proposal By Saskatchewan Research Council In collaboration with (KHS) Environmental Management Group SRC Publication No. 12194-3E07 April 2007 Saskatchewan Research Council 125 – 15 Innovation Blvd. Saskatoon, SK S7N 2X8 Tel: (306) 933-5477 Fax: (306) 933-7299 Former Gunnar Mining Limited Site Rehabilitation Project Proposal – April 2007 Project Description TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1.1. The Project 1.2. The Site 2. BACKGROUND 2.1. The Gunnar Mining Limited Site 2.1.1. Operating History 2.1.2. Open Pit Mine 2.1.3. Underground Mine Development & Operations 2.1.4. Mill 2.1.5. Production 2.1.6. Support Facilities 2.1.7. Closure 2.2. Current Disposition of Property 2.3. Current Land Tenure 3. THE PROPONENT 4. PROPONENT MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 5. PROPOSED PROJECT ACTIVITY 6. THE SITE 6.1. Location(s) 6.2. Regional Socio-Economic Environment 6.3. Local Socio-Economic Environment 7. EXISITNG/SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION 7.1. The Gunnar Site 7.1.1. The Gunnar Story, Canadian Mining Journal, July 1963 7.1.2. National Uranium Tailings Program (NUTP), 1986 7.1.3. Gunnar Site Characterization and Remedial Options Review, Saskatchewan Research Council, January 2005 7.1.4. Gunnar Site Characterization – 2004 & 2005 Aquatic Investigations, CanNorth, March 2006 7.1.5. Screening Level Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment of the Gunnar Site, SENES, March 2006 8. CURRENT SITE DESCRIPTION 8.1.
    [Show full text]
  • Project CLEANS (Cleanup of Abandoned Northern Sites) Gunnar Mine Site
    ENVIRONMENT Photo provided courtesy of Woodland Aerial Photography Project CLEANS (Cleanup of Abandoned Northern Sites) Gunnar Mine Site Project CLEANS (Cleanup of Abandoned Northern Sites) is a multi-year project to assess and reclaim Gunnar uranium mine and mill site, Lorado uranium mill site and 35 satellite uranium mine sites in northern Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) is managing Project CLEANS, which is funded by the governments of Saskatchewan and Canada. About the Gunnar Mine Site The former Gunnar uranium mine and mill site is located on the north shore of Lake Athabasca, approximately 25 kilometres south of Uranium City, Saskatchewan. The mine was operational from 1955-1963 and offi cially closed in 1964 with little decommissioning. Due to the remote and isolated location of the site, numerous buildings (both industrial and residential) and facilities were developed. According to technical standards during that time, asbestos was widely used in all the buildings. The Gunnar mine and mill site consisted of: • Open pit mine over 100 metres deep and 250x300 metres in size • Underground mine 600 metres deep CONTACT Ian Wilson • Uranium mill with a capacity of 2000 tonnes/day Environmental Remediation Manager • Two acid plants T: 306-933-5400 E: [email protected] • Uranium processing buildings • A number of residential, public, administrative and technical buildings • Approximately 4.4 million tonnes of tailings • Approximately 2.7 million tonnes of waste rock deposits www.saskcleans.ca 3/14 The open pit is separated from Lake Athabasca by a 50 metre narrow bedrock ridge. The underground mine was accessed by a shaft sunk 600 metres deep.
    [Show full text]
  • Landscapes of Cyclonic Development at Uranium City, Saskatchewan
    1 ‘Born in an Atomic Test Tube’: Landscapes of cyclonic development at Uranium City, Saskatchewan ARN KEELING Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9 ([email protected]) Abstract Drawing together insights from neo-Innisian geography and environmental history, this paper explores the landscape and environmental changes engendered by ‘cyclonic’ patterns of development associated with uranium production at Uranium City, Saskatchewan. Strong postwar demand for uranium led to the establishment and rapid expansion of Uranium City on the north shore of Lake Athabasca as a ‘yellowcake town,’ dedicated to producing uranium oxide concentrate to supply federal government contracts with the United States military. In spite of optimistic assessments for the region’s industrial future, the new settlement remained inherently unstable, tied to shifting institutional arrangements and external markets, and haunted by the spectre of resource depletion. The planning and development of the townsite at Uranium City reflected both neo-colonial desires to open the north to Euro-Canadian settlement and efforts by the state to buffer the stormy effects of resource dependency. Ultimately, however, quixotic government efforts to implant an outpost of industrial modernity in the Athabasca Region failed to forestall the inevitable winds of change, which left in their wake destructive legacies of social dislocation and environmental degradation, already evident with the near- collapse of the uranium export market by the early 1960s. Keywords: Uranium mining, environment, single-industry towns, Aboriginal Peoples, historical geography, staples economies 2 A cyclone hit the northern shore of Lake Athabasca in 1944—neither a climatological event nor force of nature, it was instead a whirlwind of industrial development lasting, in its first phase, some 15 years or so.
    [Show full text]
  • Geology of the Scimitar Lake Area
    The Gunnar Mine: An Episyenite-hosted, Granite-related Uranium Deposit in the Beaverlodge Uranium District K.E. Ashton Ashton, K.E. (2010): The Gunnar mine: an episyenite-hosted, granite-related uranium deposit in the Beaverlodge uranium district; in Summary of Investigations 2010, Volume 2, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Ministry of Energy and Resources, Misc. Rep. 2010-4.2, Paper A-4, 21p. Abstract The past-producing Gunnar mine exploited one of a number of vein-type uranium deposits within the prolific Beaverlodge uranium camp near Uranium City in northwestern Saskatchewan. Between 1955 and 1963, the mine produced 6,892 tons of uranium at an average grade of 0.148% U. Three weeks of re-mapping at 1:10 000 scale this summer showed the area to be underlain by Archean orthogneiss and the intrusive 2321 ±3 Ma Gunnar granite, both of which are intruded by mafic dykes that are thought to be co-genetic with Murmac Bay Group basalts. Minor aplitic granite and transposed biotite pegmatite dykes were probably emplaced during 1.94 to 1.90 Ga amphibolite-facies metamorphism, prior to late intrusion of northeast-striking muscovite pegmatite dykes. Uranium mineralization at the Gunnar mine occurred within altered rocks of the Gunnar granite, in close proximity to the contact with the orthogneiss, and near the junction of three faults. Alteration of the granite occurred in irregular pipe-like bodies up to hundreds of metres in size and included the replacement of primary K-feldspar by albite, and the dissolution of quartz to produce ‘episyenite’. Hematization was both intense and widespread; and carbonate, locally emplaced in the matrix and as veins, has been variably dissolved leaving a vuggy ‘sponge rock’.
    [Show full text]
  • The Legacy of Uranium Mining in Saskatchewan: the Unacceptable Environmental Impacts of Uranium Mining
    The Legacy of Uranium Mining in Saskatchewan: The Unacceptable Environmental Impacts of Uranium Mining Saskatchewan Environmental Society March 2015 Executive Summary The Saskatchewan Environmental Society does not support an expansion of the uranium mining industry in Saskatchewan. Our organization has worked for decades to propose improvements to environmental practices at existing uranium mine operations, and to try to persuade governments to stop uranium exports to countries intent on using uranium for military purposes. Yet only nominal progress has been made on these fronts. The fundamental problems associated with uranium mining and uranium exports have not been resolved. This referenced paper summarizes the legacy of uranium mining in the province of Saskatchewan. In it you will find pertinent information about the history of uranium mining in Saskatchewan, environmental contamination at mined-out sites that have some remediation work underway, environmental problems at mine sites that are currently operating, the unresolved challenges of disposing of high level radioactive waste that originates from uranium’s use, and the connections between Saskatchewan uranium exports and nuclear weapons proliferation. This paper makes it clear that despite current remediation efforts, surface water contamination in the Uranium City area and on the shores of the Crackingstone Peninsula (Lake Athabasca) will continue to be a significant problem because of the damage caused by earlier uranium mining. We document in detail the current levels of surface water contamination in many watersheds in northwestern Saskatchewan. The paper then shifts to northeastern Saskatchewan and examines environmental loading of contaminants at the currently operating Rabbit Lake mine and mill site near Wollaston Lake.
    [Show full text]
  • Cleaning up Abandoned Uranium Mine Sites in North Saskatchewan
    The legacy of the Cold War - Cleaning up Abandoned Uranium Mine Sites in North Saskatchewan Alexey Klyashtorin, David Sanscartier, Mark Calette, Chris Reid, Skye Ketilson, and Ian Wilson Saskatchewan Research Council June 6, 2017 Copyright © SRC 2017 The Legacy of the Cold War • Uranium ore (pitchblende) was discovered at Nicholson Mine on the northern shore of Lake Athabasca in the 1930s while exploring for gold • Uranium mining in the vicinity of Uranium City started in the early 1950’s • The main task was to process the ore, and then ship “yellow cake” to the US, to speed up building their nuclear potential Copyright © SRC 2017 Copyright © SRC 2017 Legacy uranium mine sites in Saskatchewan is an echo of the Cold War that still affects us today. • Mining was ceased in the mid 1960’s and mine sites abandoned with little or no clean-up. • Most of the buildings, infrastructure, unconfined tailings, and waste rock piles were left on the sites “as is”. • At Gunnar, the open pit and mine working were flooded after blasting a special channel to the Lake Athabasca. Copyright © SRC 2017 Overview of Project CLEANS • CLEANS means Cleanup of Abandoned Northern Sites • Multi-year, multi-million dollar project • Started in 2007 • Managed by SRC, Environmental Remediation Unit on behalf of provincial Ministry of Economy • Funded by: Provincial and Federal governments. • The project includes 37 sites: • Gunnar Uranium Mine and Mill Site • Lorado Uranium Mill Site • 35 legacy uranium mine sites Copyright © SRC 2017 Gunnar Mine 1955 Mudford Lake Tailings
    [Show full text]