Approximately 25 percent of the uranium tailings from the Moab Uranium Mill have been permanently disposed of; an important milestone of the multi-year, multi-million dollar Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project in Southern Utah. The Department of Energy project began in 2009, with EnergySolutions as the primary contractor responsible for handling the disposal of the Residual Radioactive Material from the former uranium-ore processing facility.

Envirocon acts as a subcontractor to EnergySolutions and has played a large role in the successful project execution. Envirocon is charged with excavation, conditioning, stockpiling and loading the uranium tailings so they meet packaging requirements to be disposed of off-site. So far, Envirocon has been able to produce material faster than it can be transported and disposed of at the Crescent Junction disposal cell, 30 miles away.

Moving four million tons of uranium tailings is an important milestone, largely because it comes far ahead of schedule. The original contract between DOE and EnergySolutions required two million tons of tailings to be removed by September 30, 2011. Due to an unexpected surge of ARRA funds awarded in spring 2009, EnergySolutions and Envirocon were able to double that figure in June 2011. The additional funds have allowed rail shipments to increase from four to 10 shipments per week and increase the staffing for the project so that the site is manned 24-hours a day, five days a week and 12 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday. This increased productivity is the reason the project is so far ahead of schedule.

Envirocon Project Manager Greg Church attributes the success of the project to the people working at the site. He states, “The major contributing factor to Envirocon’s success on the Moab UMTRA project is our people. We have been able to assemble a team of people that takes the utmost pride in their work and performs every task with safety and quality in mind.”

The project is expected to be completed by 2025 and will include the removal of 16 million tons of uranium mill tailings from the Moab site. However, due to additional efficiencies put in place by DOE, EnergySolutions and Envirocon, that date may be pushed forward to 2019. Although the EnergySolutions contract with DOE expires in December of this year, the team has already laid a solid foundation for the successful completion of the project. So far, the project has been ahead of schedule and held above-average safety ratings. While logging over 300,000 manhours of work, Envirocon maintains an OSHA Recordable Incidents Rating of .66 on the project.

Due to the proximity of the site to the Colorado River, the UMTRA project is being closely watched by legislators and residents from Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. It is seen as a potential source of radiological and chemical contamination that might affect downstream populations in those states.