DRC-2012-002342 - 0901a068803230e5

State of Utah
GARY R HERBERT
Governor
GREG BELL
Lieutenant Governor
TO
FROM
DATE
DRC-2012-002342
Department of
Environmental Quality
Amanda Smith
Executive Director
DIVISION OF RADIATION CONTROL
Rusty Lundberg
Director
Phil Goble
///?/
Dean Henderson
October 13, 2012
SUBJECT Split Sampling of Chloroform Momtonng Wells
Energy Fuels
White Mesa Uramum Mill, near Blanding, Utah
On October 2 and 3, 2012 Utah Division of Radiation Control (hereafter "DRC") staff Tom Rushing and
Dean Henderson split sampled seven chloroform momtonng wells at Energy Fuels (hereafter "EF") dunng
the 4* Quarter 2012 chloroform groundwater momtonng event Tanner Holiday and Gamn Palmer were
the EF staff performing the momtonng and sampling for this event A report on DRC sample results and
companson with EF sample result will be completed after the 4* quarter 2012 groundwater momtonng
report is submitted to DRC on March 1,2013
The seven momtonng wells sampled were TW4-4, TW4-6, TW4-18, TW4-19, TW4-20, TW4-26, and
TW4-27 A duplicate sample of TW4-20 was collected and is idennfied as TW4-50 After observing the
EF staff perform the samplmg and momtonng it appears they appropnately followed the White Mesa
Uranium Mill Ground Water Momtonng Quality Assurance Plan
A closeout meeting was held with David Turk, Tanner Holiday and Gamn Palmer Two items were
brought to their attention that would improve groimdwater momtonng procedures
1 After the mobile pumping system was decontaminated between purging each well the pump was left in
the open air and sometimes was laid on the bed of the truck We told the EF staff that the best
management practice would be to put the pump in a plastic bag or some other container that would
keep the pump clean between decontamination and transportation to the next well to be purged
2 Dunng the sampling of pumping wells TW4-4, TW4-19, and TW4-20 one to two gallons of well water
was allowed to spill on the ground We told the EF staff that although one to two gallons is not
significant m this case, the best management practice would be to containenze all water removed from
momtonng wells
The EF staff said they agreed to make these improvements to the momtonng procedures We told them
that no wntten documentation was needed to demonstrate these improvements but that DRC staff would
observe improvements in a future quarterly momtonng event
See photographs of momtonng event in Attachment 1 below
195 North 1950 West • Salt Lake City, UT
Mailing Address P O Box 144850 • Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4850
Telephone [phone] • Fax [phone] -TDD [phone]
www deq Utah gov
Pnnted on 100% recycled paper
# Page 2
Attachment 1
Photographs of Groundwater Monitoring Event
Energy Fuels staff conducting well purging activities at chloroform monitoring well TW4-24 with the use
of a mobile pumping system.
Disposing water purged from the chloroform monitoring wells into tailing cell 1. Tailing cell 1 not in
photograph but located approximately 40 feet from the back ofthe truck.