Is The Colorado River Becoming Radioactive from Upstream Uranium Mines?
It All Depends On Who You Ask
Las Vegas Water Offical Warns Radioactive Levels Rising
Sunday’s news was a bit disconcerting, when I read a small story at Tri-State Online. Pat Mulroy, head of the Southern Nevada Water Authority was quoted as saying measurable quantities of uranium are showing up in Colorado River water, something difficult and expensive to remove before passing it on to consumers in Las Vegas.
She blames upstream uranium mining, especially in the Moab, Utah area, so I decided to take a look and see what’s happening up there.
To the best of my knowledge, there are no operating uranium mines in or near Moab, UT, or anywhere in the state of Utah. So, I felt Ms. Mulroy was referring to the uranium mill tailings just outside Moab, where they’ve been for decades after the failure of the Atlas Minerals Corporation mill.
