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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The first shipment of uranium tailings from a dump site near Moab is scheduled to move out April 20.
The work is on track to meet the U.S. Department of Energy's self-imposed deadline, which is about a month earlier than expected, said project director Don Metzler.
The 16 million tons of radioactive sludge are being taken to Crescent Junction as part of a $1 billion project to deal with the waste. The tailings near the Colorado River are leftovers from a former uranium mill about three miles northwest of Moab.
The 130-acre site along U.S. 191 leaches contaminants into the river, which provides water for some 25 million people downstream. Federal officials decided last year to move the tailings primarily by rail, rather than by truck. Crescent Junction is about 30 miles away.
All of the major work is done, including construction of a rail spur and approved certifications and inspections, Metzler said.
"Now we're down to the little stuff but even something little could hurt the schedule," Metzler said.
Once shipments get under way, officials expect one train with 22 rail cars containing a total of 88 specially designed containers for the tailings to run five days a week. Each container holds about 40 tons of mill tailings.
Metzler said it's unclear if the first day of shipping will include 22 cars but that level could be reached in the following week or two.
DOE officials last month said about $108 million in federal economic stimulus aid will be allocated for the project to help meet a 2019 cleanup deadline.
The waste is part of a Cold War legacy in Moab, where rich uranium deposits were mined during the 1950s for nuclear weapons. The Atlas Minerals Corp. bought the mill in 1962. It closed in 1984 but left behind the heap of tailings on the banks of the Colorado River. Officials worry that flooding in the area could wash some of the hazardous material into the river.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
