nuclear-news

Lawsuit about uranium mill’s contamination of water

The creek contains uranium levels as high as 310 parts per billion, which is more than 10 times the 30 ppb health standard for drinking water.

Group Sues Over Cotter Corp. Uranium Mill Cleanup – cbs4denver.com, Sep 22, 2010 U.S. MountainGroup Sues Over Cotter Corp. Uranium Mill Cleanup DENVER (AP) ― A citizens group has filed a lawsuit accusing Colorado regulators of failing to require Cotter Corp. to set aside enough money to clean up its uranium mill in Canon City. Colorado Citizens Against Toxic Waste filed the lawsuit in Denver District Court against the state health department and others.t says the department has estimated it will cost at least $43 million to decommission and decontaminate Cotter’s mill, which is a Superfund site, but the state let Cotter set its financial surety at just $20.2 million…..
Cotter has another uranium site — the defunct Schwartzwalder mine west of Denver. The Denver Post reports that Cotter faces at least a $55,000 fine for failing to clean up that site.

Since April, Cotter has faced repeated state orders to pump and treat toxic water filling the mine along Ralston Creek, which flows into a Denver Water reservoir that provides drinking water.

The creek contains uranium levels as high as 310 parts per billion, which is more than 10 times the 30 ppb health standard for drinking water.

Cotter contends the water in the mine shaft is not connected to groundwater, but state mining regulators disagree.

Group Sues Over Cotter Corp. Uranium Mill Cleanup – cbs4denver.com

September 23, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, uranium