Monument Valley and Rifle: Monitoring Plant-Based Approaches to Milling Site Remediation

[Marlin]

Monument Valley and Rifle: Monitoring Plant-Based Approaches to Milling Site Remediation

https://www.ans.org/news/article-8430/monument-valley-and-rifle-monitoring-plantbased-approaches-to-milling-site-remediation/

[Core Content]

The Department of Energy deployed advanced three-dimensional visualization software at the Monument Valley site to locate underground sources of nitrate contamination. Concurrently, federal officials initiated vegetation pilots in Rifle to limit groundwater infiltration at a former uranium mill tailings disposal cell.

These projects highlight ongoing efforts to manage legacy contamination from mid-century uranium processing operations. By utilizing biological remediation and natural water management techniques, the agency aims to reduce reliance on energy-intensive mechanical extraction systems across decommissioned facilities, lowering long-term maintenance costs and environmental risks.

The Department of Energy's Office of Legacy Management (DOE-LM) is using cutting-edge technology to give its scientists a virtual look underground at its Monument Valley processing site in Arizona, where a uranium mill once operated.

By tracking the size and movements of a nitrate plume below the site, DOE-LM is assessing the effectiveness of a plant-based treatment plan.

Plants are also key to environmental remediation at a former uranium mill site in Rifle, Colo. There, DOE-LM is planting and seeding vegetation with the aim of reducing the amount of groundwater that reaches a buried disposal cell.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/article-8430/monument-valley-and-rifle-monitoring-plantbased-approaches-to-milling-site-remediation/