On September 27, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its commitment to cleanup plans for seven abandoned uranium mine sites located in the Navajo Nation. The planned projects aim to address over 1 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and restore around 260 acres of land for the benefit of communities within the Smith Lake and Mariano Lake chapters.
“Today’s announcement marks clear progress on addressing the painful legacy of uranium mine contamination in Navajo Nation,” stated EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “These cleanup decisions have been made in close coordination with the Navajo Nation government, with the ultimate goal of restoring land for unrestricted use by Navajo communities.”
The selected cleanup plans involve removing over 2 million cubic yards of mine waste across sites including Mariano Lake, Mac 1 & 2, Black Jack 1 & 2, and Ruby 1 & 3. These efforts will be conducted as removal actions under EPA’s Superfund authorities.
From 1944 to 1986, nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted from Navajo lands through leases with the Navajo Nation. Many residents worked in these mines and lived nearby, leaving a legacy of contamination after their closure.
The EPA Region 9’s Navajo Abandoned Uranium Mine program was established to tackle this issue, working closely with the Navajo Nation EPA throughout the process. To date, critical removal actions have addressed approximately 200,000 cubic yards of mine waste at over 30 sites by excavating contaminated soil from residential areas and implementing protective measures such as fencing and signage.
Additionally, prior listing by the EPA has paved the way for cleaning up Lukachukai Mountain Mining District's 88 mines containing roughly 800,000 to 1 million tons of waste.
For more information about these efforts and other initiatives by EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region, interested parties can visit their website or connect via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X.
