EPA begins cleanup of uranium mine waste in Lukachukai Mountains
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Federal environmental crews have started removing more than 13,000 cubic yards of uranium mine waste from the Mesa V complex in the Lukachukai Mountains, marking a new phase in the effort to clean up abandoned mines across Navajo lands.
The work began Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the site, which includes three former mines within the Lukachukai Mining District Superfund area. Arrowhead Contracting, a company owned by the Southern Ute Tribe, is completing the cleanup under the direction of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Michael Montgomery, who leads the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region Superfund Program, called the effort a significant milestone.
“Removing mine waste at this Superfund site is a significant milestone in EPA’s work to clean up uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation,” he said. “This action follows the cleanup completed earlier this fall at the nearby Cove Transfer Stations and shows EPA’s continued commitment to protecting human health and the environment of the Navajo people.”
Many Diné families live near the Lukachukai Mountains, where the Mesa V complex overlooks the communities of Cove and Tsaile. The area is used for livestock grazing, recreation and hunting, and it continues to hold cultural importance for local families.
For decades, uranium waste rock at the site has eroded into nearby washes and drainages, sending contamination downstream toward Cove and the broader watershed. Without containment, the pollution would continue to threaten soil, plants and water quality throughout the region.
Under the cleanup plan, the EPA will construct a permanent on-site repository designed to safely contain the uranium waste rock. The repository will include an evapotranspiration cap that keeps rainwater from seeping into the waste material.
Once the waste is relocated, crews will restore the disturbed areas with native vegetation adapted to the high-desert climate. The cleanup, estimated at $13 million, is expected to take about a year to finish.
The Mesa V effort follows a series of uranium-related cleanups on Navajo lands where hundreds of abandoned mine sites remain from the Cold War era. The Lukachukai Mining District is among the most heavily mined areas of the Navajo Nation and has required years of assessments, funding coordination and tribal consultation.
The work at Mesa V is part of Administrator Lee Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative, which focuses on ensuring clean air, land and water for all communities.
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