“In Situ” mining is the new wave. This is the new era of mining in which all these toxic and radioactive elements are turned to liquid underground and hidden from view, down in the aquifer that we drink from. The problem is that all these liquified toxic and radioactive elements could escape the mine site and migrate to water wells.
My family and I live less than five miles from a proposed uranium mining site, and we live downstream from it right on top of the Evangeline Aquifer in Victoria County.
We're told that liquid radioactive toxins cannot travel underground from the mine to our home. Look at the creek next to it. This aquifer slopes DOWN toward our well. If liquid radioactive pollution can find a channel (an underground creek), it will travel. What about the people who live less than 1/4 mile away? How long will it take for oxidized radioactive heavy metals to enter their drinking water if it escapes the mining site?
The aquifer that we drink from is called the Evangeline Aquifer and it drops toward the coastline. Gravity is pulling this water toward the ocean. Our well is in the "third sand" at 185 feet deep. The uranium is between 100 and 400 feet deep, so the probability that the mining will occur in our particular aquifer zone is very high. If liquid radioactive toxins find a channel and escape the mining zone, how will they stop it? They cannot stop it! If an excursion escapes the mining process, it's only a matter of time...how much time, nobody knows!
Also, self-filed reports by uranium mining companies reveal extreme spills on top of the ground as well. If a check valve fails or a joint cracks or if a meter breaks ...here it comes right down Coleto Creek! Hundreds if not thousands of spills are recorded at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
These are examples of actual spills in Kleberg County, Texas:
URI reports to TNRCC and TDH reveal :
1. a 2/23/99 spill caused by a faulty check valve on well 5704B. Approximately 2,000 gallons of extraction water with a concentration of 9 PPM uranium spilled on the ground,
2. an 11/2/99 spill caused by a cracked joint in a line from the RIX in Production Area. Approximately 1,000 gallons of bleed water with a concentration of 1.5 PPM uranium spilled onto the ground, and
3. a 1/25/99 spill caused by a broken meter for well 6168A. Approximately 12,000 gallons of extraction water with a concentration of 1.5 PPM uranium spilled onto the ground.
A few of us had our water tested specifically for Uranium and Radium 226. Water samples were taken from nineteen wells in our neighborhood on October 2, 2007 and delivered to the Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin for testing. Our water appears to be safe according to EPA Drinking Water Standards. If an excursion from the mining area escapes and migrates to our wells, then at least we have an established baseline to compare to.
In situ mining is great in theory but it's not perfected. When the injection fluid called "lixiviant" is pumped into the ground, the uranium, radium and many other toxic and radioactive isotopes are oxidized and turned to liquid. The "pregnant lixiviant" is then pumped to the surface and processed. In the process, the uranium is extracted and the remaining isotope-bearing fluid is circulated underground again and again, until it's finally disposed of either by deep-well injection (back into the ground) or in an evaporation pond where radon gas is emitted into the air. During the process, some of the lixiviant escapes into the underground water supply. Even the mining folks will admit this but they say it won't substantially migrate.
Scheme of normal ISL operation
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality..."Protecting Texas by Reducing and Preventing Pollution". If TCEQ allows in situ uranium mining in an aquifer that supplies drinking water to people and livestock, how can this motto ring true?
"Two criteria must be met before an aquifer exemption is granted: The aquifer does not currently serve as a source of drinking water for human consumption, and until the exempt status is removed, the aquifer will not in the future serve as a source of drinking water for human consumption." -Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
This aquifer does currently serve as a source of drinking water for human consumption! Thousands of people and livestock drink from it, so what's to consider? We can live without uranium but we cannot live without water!
The Health Department becomes very upset if my septic system overflows, but they don't care if somebody injects liquid radioactive heavy metals into the drinking water supply? How can this be? What is going on here? I have this feeling that our federal government is pushing our state government for this development without considering the effects upon the local population. Our property will be worth less than nothing if our water becomes contaminated with radioactive and toxic liquid heavy metals. Our future and, more importantly, our children's future will be at risk. How long will it take for an excursion to reach their water? How will this affect their future?
Kidney failure, leukemia, a variety of other soft tissue cancers and severe birth defects could be expected if these liquid toxins enter our (your) water supply unexpectedly. It appears that somebody in government has their head up in the clouds (or buried in the sand). To date, not in one single instance has groundwater been restored to its original quality after In Situ mining!
If the Goliad Project uranium mine is approved by TCEQ, will it stop there? No! This will initiate a mass-mining frenzy that will migrate quickly into Victoria County. UEC, the mining company, is already hosting meetings in Victoria. Several other mining companies have begun to acquire leases as well.
If you oppose uranium mining in your water supply, it is imperative that you write a letter to TCEQ! Be sure to include the reason you object to the mining (for example, the risk of polluting the Evangeline Aquifer is too great to allow in situ mining because this aquifer supplies thousands of people and livestock with drinking water, and the possible migration of liquid radioactive isotopes and toxic metals into people's drinking water supply is an extreme threat to human welfare!)
Write to:
Office of the Chief Clerk MC 105
TCEQ
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711-3087
If you drink from a water well in western Victoria County or eastern Goliad County, GET YOUR WATER TESTED NOW!!! If your water becomes contaminated later, it will be too late and you will have no recourse! The mining company could disclaim any responsibility and claim that your water was contaminated the whole time! The Texas Department of State Health Services can perform the tests but the water samples must be delivered to their laboratory in Austin. The phone number for radionuclide testing is (512) 458-7111 ext. 3827. There are costs involved, but this is important not only to protect yourself from possible future contamination, but you may also be drinking substantial levels of naturally occurring uranium and radium right now and not know it.
Mark Krueger
Here are some interesting and educational links on uranium mining and its issues:
http://www.ksat.com/video/14920420/detail.html
http://www.nunnglow.com/
http://www.powertechexposed.com/
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20080106/NEWS/29211963
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5720721
http://texas.sierraclub.org/coastalbend/SouthTexasUranium.htm
http://goliad-tx.tamu.edu/uiag.html (click September Conference. Entire 2-Day conference video/audio)
http://www.txpeer.org/toxictour/uri.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4535148/
http://www.wise-uranium.org/
http://www.anawa.org.au/mining/isl.html
http://www.ieer.org/fctsheet/uranium.html
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/uic/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/health/contaminants/radiation/pdfs/uranium.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/health/contaminants/radiation/pdfs/9283_1_14.pdf
http://www.uraniumenergy.com/
http://uraniumenergy.com/investor_info/news_releases
http://www.sedar.com/ (search for Uranium Energy Corp and form "Technical Report NI 43-101")
http://www.sacurrent.com/news/story.asp?id=67630
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