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Moab UMTRA project nears 16 million tons shipped; steering committee approves annual compliance statement for county review
Summary
Steering committee heard updates showing the Moab uranium‑mill cleanup has moved roughly 15.7–15.8 million tons toward Crescent Junction disposal, reported groundwater removals, and voted to send the annual statement of continuing compliance to the Grand County Commission for final approval.
Moab — Project staff told the Grand County Moab Tailings Project Steering Committee on July 22 that cleanup operations are nearing the long‑stated 16,000,000‑ton removal goal and that the committee approved sending the annual statement of continuing compliance (ASCC) to the Grand County Commission for final action.
The Department of Energy’s deputy project engineer, Chris Polskamp, said the Crescent Junction disposal cell is receiving tailings on a daily basis and that the project recently secured Nuclear Regulatory Commission variances permitting burial of end‑of‑life shipping containers and certain rail materials from other DOE sites. “We continue to move tailings and place tailings in the cell on a daily basis,” Polskamp said, and added that the ET (evapotranspiration) cover design review is “very close” but awaiting a NEPA supplement before construction can begin.
Liz Moran, DOE environmental manager, summarized groundwater work and modeling tied to closure planning: “Since the last reporting quarter, we’ve extracted 4,800,000 gallons of groundwater,” she said, and reported removing “over 9,000 pounds of ammonia and over 100 pounds of uranium” from the groundwater system. Moran said DOE will complete groundwater modeling by December and submit a 60% groundwater compliance action plan for review, with NRC review to follow and a 90% deliverable anticipated around 2027.
Project staff gave mixed but consistent shipping totals: presenters cited roughly 15.8 million tons removed to date and, later in the meeting, a packet figure of approximately 15.7 million tons as of June 2025, representing about 98–98.8% of the 16 million‑ton estimate. Staff emphasized these figures are estimates and that some sub‑pile material remains to be characterized and removed.
Kenny Schaeffer, final status manager, outlined the verification approach for site closeout: the site is divided into roughly 14,000 100‑square‑meter grids that are scanned and sampled against EPA cleanup criteria, and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) has conducted independent verification activities to validate contractor and DOE results.
Committee members and staff also discussed opportunities to accelerate regulatory reviews by hosting NRC site visits and maintaining frequent stakeholder engagement. Several committee members credited recent congressional funding and local delegation engagement with enabling faster shipment schedules and procurement of cover rock needed for final cover construction.
On the formal action, Kate Finley moved to approve the ASCC and send it to the Grand County Commission for final approval; Tony Mancuso seconded. Chair Mary McGahn called for a voice vote and the motion carried. The committee also approved minutes from Jan. 28 and April 22 earlier in the meeting.
Committee members announced outreach opportunities, including a Las Colonias (Grand Junction) walking tour Oct. 2 and a Crescent Junction site tour for steering committee members Oct. 9, and staff reminded members that detailed reports, environmental monitoring summaries and meeting packets are posted on the project website and available at the Grand County Library.
The steering committee will next meet in October; staff said they expect to provide updates on wash realignment planning, groundwater modeling results and ET cover NEPA progress.
