[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 212 (Thursday, November 2, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55702-55704]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-27231]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Floodplain Statement of Findings for Remedial Action at the 
Uranium Mill Tailings Sites Located Near Maybell and Naturita, CO

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Floodplain Statement of Findings.

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SUMMARY: This Floodplain Statement of Findings is prepared pursuant to 
Executive Order 11990 and 10 CFR Part 1022, Compliance with Floodplain/
Wetlands Environmental Review Requirements. Under authority granted by 
the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) of 1978, the 
Department of Energy (DOE) plans to clean up residual radioactive mill 
tailings and other contaminated materials at the former uranium mill 
tailings processing sites near Maybell and Naturita, Colorado. 
Contaminated material occurs in the 100-year floodplains of rivers and 
streams at and near these processing sites, and the 100-year floodplain 
of the San Miguel River at the Naturita site is contaminated. Remedial 
action activities to remove contaminated material would result in the 
temporary disturbance of the 100-

[[Page 55703]]
year floodplain. Contamination occurs along Johnson Wash and Lay Creek 
at the Maybell site; these areas may qualify for supplemental standards 
and would therefore remain mostly undisturbed.
    Copies of the floodplain/wetlands assessments for the Maybell and 
Naturita sites are available from: National Technical Information 
Service, Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 
22161, (703) 487-4650.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE NEPA PROCESS, CONTACT: Carol M. 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Oversight, EH-25, U.S. Department 
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20585, (202) 
586-4600 or 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement Notification for remedial 
action in the floodplains and wetlands at the Maybell and Naturita 
sites was published in the Federal Register in 1988 (53 FR 5033). The 
final environmental assessments (EA) were published in 1994 and 1995 
for the Maybell (DOE/EA-0347) and Naturita (DOE/EA-0464) sites. In 
addition, the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for each of 
these sites was signed. Floodplain/Wetlands Assessments were prepared 
for each site and are attached to the EAs.

Project Descriptions

Maybell Site

    The Maybell site is 25 miles (mi) west of the city of Craig, in a 
rural area of Moffat County in northwestern Colorado. The Maybell site 
was established by Trace Elements Corporation in 1955, and Umetco 
assumed control in 1957. A total of 2.6 million tons of ore was 
processed before the mill shut down in 1964. The tailings pile and most 
of the surrounding land contaminated with windblown tailings are in 
upland areas. However, water erosion has contaminated nearby Johnson 
Wash and a portion of Lay Creek; approximately 61,000 cubic yards 
(yd3) of contaminated material are in these two drainages.
    Johnson Wash begins in the sagebrush and pinon-juniper dominated 
land northeast of the Maybell site and extends south about 1.5 mi to 
Lay Creek. The wash is ephemeral and dry much of the year except at two 
springs that create a surface flow that floods 600 to 900 feet (ft) of 
the wash. Heavily grazed riparian vegetation occurs along 1 mi of the 
wash, indicating that ground water is near the surface. Most of Johnson 
Wash traverses a steep-sided valley, and sagebrush and/or pinon-juniper 
plant communities occur along its entire length.
    Lay Creek is a meandering stream with a flat, broad floodplain. The 
creek contains water all year; ground water discharge is the source of 
this water during dry parts of the year.
    Various species of aquatic plants form a dense growth along the 
stream, while higher areas are dominated by black greasewood and big 
sagebrush. The area is heavily grazed by sheep and cattle.
    The proposed action at the Maybell site is to stabilize the 
contaminated material in place at the existing tailings pile. In 
addition, a supplemental standards application will be prepared for 
most of the contaminated areas along Johnson Wash and Lay Creek. The 
rationale for supplemental standards at these two drainages is based on 
ecological, radiological, geomorphological, socioeconomic, and 
engineering criteria (see the Floodplain/Wetlands Assessment for more 
details). Two areas of contamination, totaling about 12 acres (ac), 
will be cleaned up along Johnson Wash and Lay Creek; one is in the 
upper portion of the wash, in the windblown contaminated area, and the 
other is in the lower portion of the wash, near its confluence with Lay 
Creek. Currently, additional radiological characterization is taking 
place along Johnson Wash and Lay Creek to verify the levels of 
contamination along these two drainages. These surveys may identify 
additional areas that need to be cleaned up. At this time, it is 
anticipated that any additional clean-up along Johnson Wash and Lay 
Creek will be minimal and that most of these two drainages will 
continue to qualify for supplemental standards. Land disturbed in the 
100-year floodplains of Johnson Wash and Lay Creek would be 
recontoured, covered with topsoil, and revegetated with native plant 
species.
    Alternatives considered include no action and clean-up of all the 
contaminated material along Johnson Wash and Lay Creek. Implementation 
of no action would not be consistent with UMTRCA and would not be 
protective of human health and the environment since it would not meet 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards (40 CFR 192). Clean-up 
of all the contaminated material would cause more environmental harm 
than good, given the occurrence of wetlands and other sensitive 
habitats along these drainages and the relatively low levels of 
contamination.

Naturita Site

    The Naturita site is 2 mi northwest of the unincorporated town of 
Naturita in Montrose County, Colorado. The Naturita mill site was 
constructed in 1930. It became operational in 1939, when it was 
modified for the recovery of vanadium. Uranium milling began in 1942 
and continued until 1963, when the mill was shut down. The tailings 
were removed from the site in 1979 for reprocessing at a facility in 
the hills about 3 mi south of the site. There is an estimated 542,400 
yd3 of contaminated material on 244 acres of land. Approximately 
263,000 yd3 of this contaminated material covers 31 ac in the 100-
year floodplain of the San Miguel River.
    The San Miguel River originates in the San Juan Mountains near 
Telluride, Colorado, and joins the Dolores River 20 mi downstream from 
the Naturita site. In the vicinity of the Naturita site, the river has 
a drainage area of 1209 square miles. Flow in the river varies 
seasonally with the average maximum and minimum flows of 2000 and 330 
cubic feet per second. A vegetated riparian zone occurs along the river 
with plant communities growing in distinct zones. The zone nearest the 
river consists of vegetation growing on the frequently flooded rocky 
bars; cottonwood and willow seedlings are common here. Further back and 
a bit higher in elevation, thick growths of cottonwood and willow 
saplings are typically encountered. Mature cottonwood stands frequent 
higher terraces along the river and generally give way to upland plant 
communities.
    The proposed action is to remove the contaminated material from the 
floodplain of the river and upland areas and stabilize it in an off-
site disposal cell. This clean-up effort will disturb 31 contaminated 
acres in the 100-year floodplain of the river. The average depth of the 
excavation in this area would be 3 ft. The removal of contaminated 
material from the upper and lower mill yard terraces would increase the 
width of the 100-year floodplain. Clean fill material would be 
backfilled into excavated areas as the contaminated material is removed 
to minimize any increase in the width of the 100-year floodplain. After 
completion of remedial action, all disturbed areas would be recontoured 
to promote surface drainage and the man-made upper and lower mill yard 
terraces would be replaced with a gentle slope. As a result of this, it 
is anticipated that the 100-year floodplain will increase from 31 to 38 
ac after the completion of this work. The restoration 

[[Page 55704]]
of the floodplain following remedial action is not expected to affect 
the path or flow regime of the San Miguel River. All disturbed areas 
would be revegetated as soon as possible after completion of remedial 
action to minimize erosion.
    Alternatives considered were on-site stabilization of the 
contaminated material, no action, and other off-site disposal sites. 
The impacts to the 100-year floodplain would be the same as described 
above for other off-site disposal locations. The disposal of the 
contaminated material on-site would also result in the disturbance of 
the 100-year floodplain as described for the proposed action. No action 
would result in leaving the contaminated material in the floodplain of 
the San Miguel River and would not result in a reduction in public 
health effects. In addition, the contaminated material would continue 
to be susceptible to erosion, particularly during periods of high 
water, which could result in negative impacts to the environment. In 
addition, no action would not be consistent with the intent of UMTRCA 
and would not result in compliance with the EPA environmental 
protection standards.

Findings

Maybell Site

    Little of Johnson Wash and Lay Creek, would be disturbed if 
supplemental standards were successfully applied to these areas. It is 
likely that a supplemental standards application would be successful, 
given that the areas are ecologically sensitive, are remote from human 
habitation, and that they contain relatively low levels of 
contamination.
    The clean-up of contaminated material of Johnson Wash and Lay Creek 
would provide a long-term benefit by preventing impacts to human health 
and the environment. Potential impacts to the 100-year floodplain that 
may result from the excavation of contaminated material from Johnson 
Wash would be mitigated by the following measures:
     Erosion control measures would be implemented to minimize 
erosion during clean-up activities along Johnson Wash and Lay Creek.
     The 12 ac of land within the 100-year floodplain of 
Johnson Wash and Lay Creek that would be disturbed would be recontoured 
and revegetated following the completion of remedial action.
    The excavation of contaminated material from the floodplain of 
Johnson Wash and Lay Creek is designed to conform to applicable federal 
and state regulations. Permits required under these regulations will be 
obtained before the start of remedial action. Wetlands along Johnson 
Wash and Lay Creek have been delineated; the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE) has agreed with this delineation. Consultation is 
ongoing with other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (FWS) and Bureau of Land management (BLM), and with the state 
of Colorado.
    Based on the above, it was determined that the impacts to the 
floodplain along Johnson Wash and Lay Creek would be insignificant.

Naturita Site

    The clean-up of contaminated material from the floodplain of the 
San Miguel River in the area of the Naturita site would be a long-term 
benefit because of the reduction of impacts to potential human health 
and the environment. Potential impacts due to excavation of 
contaminated material from the floodplain of the San Miguel River would 
be mitigated by the following measures.
     All excavated areas would be backfilled with clean fill as 
soon as clean-up was completed.
     Riparian vegetation along the river not subject to 
excavation would be left intact as much as possible to reduce river 
velocities and associated erosion during flood events.
     All excavated areas would be regraded to a gentle slope to 
promote positive drainage.
     The upper and lower mill yard terraces would be given a 
gentle slope to promote positive drainage.
     All areas would be revegetated as soon as possible 
following clean-up to minimize erosion into the river.
    The excavation of contaminated material from the floodplain of the 
San Miguel River is designed to conform to applicable federal and state 
regulations. Permits required under these regulations will be obtained 
before the start of remedial action. Wetlands along the river have been 
delineated, USACE has agreed with this delineation, and a 404 Permit is 
being prepared. Consultation is ongoing with other federal agencies, 
such as FWS and BLM, as well as with the state of Colorado and local 
government agencies.
    Based on the above, it was determined that the impacts to the 
floodplain along the San Miguel River would be insignificant.

    Issued at Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 21, 1995.
W. John Arthur III,
Acting Assistant Manager for Environmental/Project Management.
[FR Doc. 95-27231 Filed 11-1-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P