Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) members announced this week the group has adopted a resolution supporting the continued moratorium on uranium mining within the state.
Organized in 2002, the DRBA’s purpose is to preserve and promote the scenic rivers of the border region of Piedmont Virginia and North Carolina, including a 3,300-square-mile region.
Board member Katherine Mull said the association is opposed to Senate Bill 525, an amended bill to establish the Uranium Mining Commission that has been referred to the House Committee on Rules for action this week.
The DRBA resolution supporting the continued moratorium on uranium mining within the commonwealth states that since the 1980s, when the moratorium was issued on the mining and milling of uranium, “uranium mining in the U.S. and throughout the world has resulted in a host of serious problems, including toxic and radioactive contamination of groundwater and surface water in addition to the risk of cancer and other health problems for workers and the public.”
The resolution points out the Coles Hill deposit near the Pittsylvania County community of Sheva is located within the Banister River Watershed of the Dan River Basin, approximately 20 miles upriver from the Town of Halifax.
It also states the Banister River Reservoir currently serves as the source of drinking water for the Town of Halifax and is recognized as part of its strategic regional water supply by the Halifax County Service Authority.
“The Roanoke River Basin which is comprised of the Banister, Dan and Staunton (Roanoke) Rivers and their tributaries, provides drinking water for the City of Virginia Beach and other communities downstream as it empties into the Albemarle Sound on the coast of North Carolina,” the resolution states.
Another point addressed in the resolution states no precedent of a large-scale uranium mine in a wet climate such as the Virginia Piedmont exists where annual precipitation exceeds evaporation causing uranium tailings ponds to overflow as well as to leach into the water table.
The resolution concludes by stating the economic benefits of a uranium mine remain uncertain with potential negative impacts caused by pollution, public health problems and decreased productive farmland.
Printed with permission from The Gazette-Virginian.
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