In the heart of Utah, a simmering tension between economic interests and environmental concerns is coming to a head. The White Mesa Mill, the nation's only remaining conventional uranium mill, is at the center of this debate. As the U.S. pushes to revive domestic uranium production, the mill's operations have sparked concerns among the Ute Mountain Ute and Havasupai tribes, who fear the potential spread of toxic waste and the impact on their water supply.
The mill, built in 1980, processes uranium ore from across the Southwest and radioactive waste from as far away as Estonia and Japan. It has been a source of contention for decades, with state regulators and the company that owns it asserting that any pollution is contained. However, the nearby tribal members, aware of the deadly legacy of uranium mining, have raised questions about the potential spread of toxic waste. Many in the White Mesa Ute Community, where Malcolm Lehi and his tribe live, rely on bottled water due to distrust of the local water supply.
The situation has taken on new urgency with the federal government's push to ban Russian uranium imports by 2028 and quadruple U.S. nuclear energy capacity by 2050. This has led to a surge in uranium production and a steady flow of trucks carrying uranium ore to the mill from regional mines, including one near the Grand Canyon where the Havasupai Tribe lives. The mill plans to expand its waste storage, further intensifying concerns among the tribes.
Yolanda Badback, a Ute Mountain Ute member and leader of the White Mesa Concerned Community, has been fighting the mill for decades. She and her family have raised concerns about the mill's impact on air and water quality, citing odors, sulfurous tap water, and health issues like cancer and asthma. A 2023 federal health assessment found radiation levels at the tribe's air monitor unlikely to harm human health, but the authors recommended further air sampling closer to the mill.
The mill's history is marred by a uranium boom in the 1940s through 1980s, which exposed miners to heightened rates of mortality from lung and other cancers. Federal reviews found that miners, many of them Navajo (Diné), were not warned about radiation risks. Mining companies left behind thousands of abandoned waste sites that have leached contamination into surrounding soil and water, including over 500 spots on and near the Navajo Nation.
Despite these concerns, the mill's operators argue that things have changed since the 1950s, with workers exposed to only 15-20% of allowable radiation limits, and outside the mill, levels are 'effectively zero.' Government agencies and Energy Fuels officials claim there's no evidence that the mill is affecting White Mesa's drinking water supply, which comes from a deep aquifer protected by a thick rock barrier. However, some residents remain uneasy, citing sulfurous tap water and a milky color, leading to distrust of the local water.
The tribe continues to monitor seeps and springs, with Entrance Spring being a key site. In the late 2000s, an EPA report found elevated contamination by radionuclides at Entrance Spring, with uranium concentrations exceeding the federal drinking water standard. The latest tests showed uranium levels at 22.5 micrograms per liter, within the federal drinking standard but still elevated. The tribe is also closely watching the Burro Canyon Aquifer, which lies beneath the mill's toxic waste cells and feeds the local springs.
As the debate rages on, the future of the White Mesa Mill and the health of the surrounding communities hang in the balance. The tribes' concerns, rooted in a history of distrust and environmental degradation, must be addressed to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for the region.
