Bluewater Uranium Mill Information
Location
McKinley County, New Mexico
The Bluewater disposal site is in Cibola County, approximately 9 miles northwest of Grants, New Mexico. Anaconda Copper Company constructed the original carbonate-leach mill at the site in 1953 to process limestone uranium ore mined in the vicinity of the site. The mill had a production capacity of 300 tons of ore per day. An acid-leach mill was constructed in 1957 to process sandstone uranium ore from the Jackpile/Paguate mine, the largest open-pit uranium mine in North America, located north of Laguna Pueblo. The carbonate leach mill closed in 1959, and production in the acid-leach mill was reduced for economic reasons. The acid-leach mill resumed full operations in 1967, and the capacity of the mill had increased to 6,000 tons of ore per day by 1978. Milling operations at the site ended on February 14, 1982. In 1977, the Anaconda Copper Company became a subsidiary of the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO).
Uranium ore processing at the Bluewater mill produced radioactive tailings, a predominantly sandy material. The tailings were conveyed in slurry from the mill to two locations, depending on the milling method. The acid-leach tailings were segregated from the carbonate-leach tailings to prevent chemical reactions from occurring as a result of mixing acidic and basic compounds. Process water in the tailings slurry seeped into the underlying alluvial and bedrock (San Andres-Glorieta) aquifers and contaminated the groundwater; the main constituents of concern are molybdenum, selenium, and uranium.
Type of Facility
Covered by EEOICPA
- Possible Part B
- Possible Part E
Years of Operation
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Contractors
- Anaconda Copper Mining Company
- Anaconda Company
Contract Numbers
- AT(49-1)-550
- AT(OS-1)-773
DOE
DOL
- Tracking your DOL Claim Status
- Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health
- Ombudsman’s Office
- Resource Center
- Site Exposure Matrix
Other Resources
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