Western Nuclear, Inc. - Split Rock

1.0 Site Identification

2.0 Site Status Summary

This is a uranium mill tailings site located approximately 2 miles west of Jeffrey City, Fremont County, Wyoming. The site consists of three reclaimed tailings impoundments occupying approximately 180 acres and other reclaimed disposal areas.

Mill operations commenced in 1958 and continued until 1981. Uranium ore processed at the mill was extracted in mines south of the facility. The mill operations consisted of physical and chemical including sulfuric acid leaching. Decommissioning of the mill was completed on September 15, 1988. Surface reclamation has been completed for the tailings impoundments. The plan for the evaporation ponds cover was approved in October 2006, and the two evaporation ponds have been reclaimed. The Construction Completion Report for the evaporation ponds was approved on November 30, 2007. On 12/1/08, the licensee submitted a request asking for a change in compliance criteria for their groundwater protection standards. Additionally on 3/9/09, in preparation for transfer of the site to DOE, Western Nuclear requested standards for constituents that previously had no standards at their point of compliance wells. These requests were approved by Licence Amendment 105 dated Feb. 24, 2010.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

Staff issued a license amendment for ACLs with institutional controls (ICs) in 2006. ICs will serve to prevent human exposures to contaminated groundwater within the long-term surveillance boundary. The Commission approved the use of ICs in December 2002, and the last IC was obtained in January 2006. DOE/LM has not submitted a LTSP for NRC review. The license cannot be transferred until the review is complete. DOE/LM hs also opined that the fee specified in Criterion 10 of Appendix A to Part 40 will not be sufficient to cover the rgound water monitoring and other activities at this site.

4.0 Estimated Date For Closure

12/31/2011