FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says two settlements reached this week will help address uranium contamination on the Navajo and Hopi reservations.
The agency says Rio Algom Mining LLC has agreed to investigate levels of contamination at one of its sites near Gallup N.M. The work is expected to cost $1 million.
Under a separate agreement, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs will assess the 30-acre Tuba City dump to determine how best to clean up contaminated soil, groundwater and waste. The BIA expects to spend $1.5 million on the feasibility study.
EPA regional administrator Jared Blumenfeld in San Francisco says the actions are part of a coordinated effort to clean up waste from past uranium mining operations.