The EEOICPA was passed in 2000. It provides compensation to workers who became ill as a result of their employment manufacturing nuclear weapons in the USA, as well as their spouses, children, and grandchildren. Uranium Mill No. 2 in Slick Rock (West) EEOICPA coverage is available for qualified former Workers and their families.
Are you eligible for compensation? If you or a family member worked at this or another DOE facility and became ill, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $400K plus medical benefits. Call EEOICPA Counsel Hugh Stephens at 1-855-548-4494 or fill out our free claim evaluation, We can help even if you’ve already filed, even if your claim was denied!
Here, we have compiled publicly available information and documentation about the facilities covered by the Act to clarify how their activities relate to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.
Uranium Mill No. 2 in Slick Rock (West)
State: Colorado
Location: Slick Rock
Time Period: DOE (Remediation) 1995-1996
Facility Type: Department of Energy
Facility Description: Vanadium and uranium was processed at this mill from 1957 through 1961. These milling operations are covered under the auspices of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and are not separately covered under EEOICPA. However, DOE environmental remediation contractors performed remediation under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (Public Law 95-604) at Uranium Mill No. 2 in Slick rock from 1995-1996. DOE and DOE contractor employees who performed this remediation are covered under EEOICPA.
Listing:
The Uranium Mill No. 2 in Slick Rock (West) is listed as a Department of Energy (DOE) site under the EEOICPA.
Site Descriptions and History:
The Slick Rock processing sites consist of two former uranium- and vanadium-ore processing facilities located in a remote area of southwest Colorado about 22 miles north of the town of Dove Creek in San Miguel County. These sites, referred to as Slick Rock East (formerly the North Continent site) and Slick Rock West (formerly the Union Carbide site), are located adjacent to the Dolores River. Slick Rock West is approximately 1 mile downstream (northwest) of Slick Rock East. Umetco Minerals Company owns both sites.
The Shattuck Chemical Company constructed the Slick Rock East mill in 1931. In 1934, North Continent Mines, Inc., acquired the facility. The mill was designed to extract radium salts and vanadium from locally mined ores. In 1945, the federal government acquired control of the facility through the Union Mines Development Corporation to supply uranium for the Manhattan Project. Union Carbide Corporation became the owner of the facility in 1957, and the mill closed in the early 1960s. The milling operations created radioactive tailings, a predominantly sandy material. In 1995, about 129,000 cubic yards of tailings and other contaminated materials were relocated to the Slick Rock disposal site, also known as the Burro Canyon disposal cell, about 5 miles east of the processing sites.
Union Carbide’s mill at Slick Rock West began operation in 1957 using a uranium-vanadium upgrading technique to process ore mined from the surrounding area. The upgraded
material was shipped to the Union Carbide mill at Rifle, Colorado, for further processing. The Slick Rock West mill closed in 1961. Milling operations at the at the Slick Rock West mill also created radioactive tailings. In 1995, about 671,000 cubic yards of these contaminated materials were relocated to the Slick Rock disposal site.
Processing Sites:
At both Slick Rock processing sites, groundwater in the Dolores River alluvium constitutes the uppermost aquifer. The Jurassic Wanakah and Morrison Formations underlie the river alluvium at the Slick Rock East site. These formations form an aquitard that inhibits downward migration of alluvial groundwater. The Jurassic Entrada and Navajo Sandstone Formations underlie river alluvium at the Slick Rock West site. Hydrologic data indicate there is a slight upward vertical gradient between the alluvial and Entrada aquifers. This condition inhibits groundwater flowing vertically from the alluvial aquifer down into the underlying Entrada.
Historical milling operations at both sites have created contamination in alluvial groundwater. Selenium and uranium are the main contaminants in groundwater at the Slick Rock East site. At Slick Rock West, benzene, manganese, molybdenum, nitrate, radium-226, radium-228, selenium, toluene, and uranium are the main contaminants.
Past milling operations have had no detectable effect on water quality of the Dolores River.
