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Thread: Uranium Producer Warns of Lake Ontario Pollution

  1. #1
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    Exclamation Uranium Producer Warns of Lake Ontario Pollution

    NY Times

    May 22, 2008
    Uranium Producer Warns of Lake Ontario Pollution

    By IAN AUSTEN
    OTTAWA — Cameco, the world’s largest uranium producer, has told the Canadian
    nuclear regulator that its refinery might have leaked uranium, arsenic and
    fluorides into Lake Ontario.

    The plant at Port Hope, Ontario, across the lake from Rochester and down the
    shore from Toronto, first refined uranium for the Manhattan Project during World
    War II. It has been temporarily closed since July to remove contaminated soil.

    A spokesman for Cameco, Lyle Krahn, said Wednesday that a computer model created
    for the cleanup, which is several months behind schedule, indicated that the
    radioactive and toxic materials have been polluting a harbor adjacent to the
    factory. The harbor leads directly to the lake.

    The company notified the regulatory agency, the Canadian Nuclear Safety
    Commission, about the finding at a meeting last week and now plans drilling
    tests to confirm the contamination and to measure its extent.

    “We’re anticipating that material may have been entering the harbor,” Mr. Krahn
    said, adding that Cameco did not know how long it would take to confirm any
    possible pollution.

    A spokesman for the agency, Aurèle Gervais, said: “The Port Hope UF6 plant
    matter has been ongoing for some time and the harbor issue is a recent
    development,” using the chemical formula for uranium hexafluoride.

    In a background paper prepared for the agency’s commissioners last week, its
    staff concluded that the potential remained for continued water pollution from
    the plant.

    Cameco in general and the aging Port Hope refinery, which transforms mined
    uranium into forms suitable for electrical power reactors, have long been
    targets of environmental groups and the regulatory agency.

    After a flood last year closed one of the company’s mines, which produces about
    10 percent of the world’s uranium, Linda J. Keen, then the head of the
    regulatory agency, said her commissioners and staff had a “lack of confidence”
    in Cameco and its management.

    Gordon Edwards, the president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear
    Responsibility, an environmental group in Montreal, said that contamination of
    the lake had been assumed, given the plant’s age, history and location.

    “There’s a long history of contamination at Port Hope,” he said. “The whole
    siting of this refinery is absurd. It’s right in the center of town, it’s on
    flood plain and right on the lakefront.”

    The plant was opened in the 1930s by Eldorado Mining and Refining to process
    radium and has undergone several cleanups.

    The most recent effort began in July when a construction project at the factory
    uncovered soil contamination that led to the plant’s closing. At the time, the
    company said that the shutdown and cleanup would take about two months. Mr.
    Krahn said the 18 million-Canadian-dollar project, which involves removing soil
    under the plant and constructing a leakproof floor, will be finished by the
    third quarter.

    If drilling confirms lake pollution, Mr. Krahn said that Cameco did not expect
    that would delay the plant’s reopening.

  2. #2
    Member run4it's Avatar
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    Good thing we're upstream, huh?
    But your being a dick
    ~Wnyresident

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by run4it
    Good thing we're upstream, huh?
    Yeah, good thing that didn't happen in Cleveland, egad.

  4. #4
    Member blockclubof1's Avatar
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    Have we forgotten West Valley so quickly?

  5. #5
    Member CSense's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by blockclubof1
    Have we forgotten West Valley so quickly?
    Where's that?

  6. #6
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    Lightbulb West Valley

    I have not forgotten. Keeping a close eye on things.

  7. #7
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    Exclamation It's time to clean it up PLEASE...

    website for Army corps of engineers files on LOOW and NFSS
    http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/fusrap/nfss/index.htm

    if the above site does not have the documents, go below for the PDF files from SAIC findings for the Army Corps of Engineers on Lewiston and Porter area.

    click on the "Niagara Falls Lewiston and Porter" file and check out the December 2007 report from SAIC and also the 2008 presentations and findings and read the conclusions.

    https://backup.filesanywhere.com/v.a...Zg%AB%AA%AE%A3

    What is disturbing to me is the government entities all know about the past reportings and testings, and still we go on with no startup of cleanup. I guess Dr. Resnikoff's report alarmed the Army Corps and also CWM to do additional research and testing to locate the contaminated areas for remediation. Another thing that I found very interesting, DEC website has CWM informational area with CWM report of radiological testing on their property. The Army Corp of Engineers terminology for the CWM property is "vicinity property" of NFSS site. Just check it out if you care. What a difference.

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