Remnants of Ida spark debate about uranium mining at Coles Hill

DANVILLE - Uranium mining opponents say flooding like the type that occurred in Pittsylvania County last week would pollute the water supply if uranium mining and milling take place at Coles Hill.

But officials at Virginia Uranium Inc., who want to mine and mill a massive ore deposit at Coles Hill near Chatham, say tailings management would ensure an environmentally-friendly operation there.

“This will be done in a safe and sustainable manner,” said Patrick Wales, geologist and spokes-man with VUI.

VUI hopes to mine and mill a 119 million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, about six miles northeast of Chatham. The National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, is considering whether to conduct a study to determine whether mining and milling can be done safely in Virginia.

The study, if approved, would take about 18 months. Jennifer Walsh, NAS spokeswoman, said Tuesday the agency has no comment on the matter.

“They’re still working out the scope of the study,” Walsh said.

Last week, Pittsylvania County officials declared a state of emergency after heavy rains and flooding forced the closure of dozens of roads, including parts of Coles Road — which bisects the VUI project area.

Jack Dunavant, head of Halifax-based Southside Concerned Citizens, which opposes uranium mining, said alpha radiation from tailings, which contain 86 percent of the radiation found in natu-ral uranium, would be washed downstream in a flood and be deposited in fertile low lands where animals graze and crops grow.

“All the animals would be subject to it,” Dunavant said.

Alpha radiation is “the most insidious and dangerous of all” types of radiation that causes birth defects and affects the genetic code, Dunavant said. It can be ingested when consumed in food and water or breathed from mist while a person takes a shower, he said.

VUI would build a tailings-management system meeting stringent guidelines under the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and other agencies, Wales said.

Tailings-management facilities have separated the tailings from interaction with the environ-ment at locations all over the world, Wales said. Tailings are typically covered and lined under-ground with multiple layers of synthetic and clay liners to prevent interaction with surrounding groundwater, Wales said.

“These facilities are designed for severe weather,” Wales said.

A few feet of water can also be kept on top of the tailings to prevent dust.

Area farmers have built primitive ponds to successfully contain water with no government oversight, Wales said. In addition, rains have occurred for hundreds of millions of years and VUI’s operation would not increase the amount of radiation already in the rock, Wales said.

Wales said VUI will select its tailings-management method based on regulations under the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“At this point, we’re a few years … from having a specific, finalized design,” Wales said.

Walter Coles, Sr., VUI chairman, said the operation would have a water-treatment plant similar to that of a municipal facility, treating the water before sending it back into the system. Also, flooding that took place last week occurred downstream from Coles Hill, Coles said.
Karen Maute, a county resident and uranium mining opponent, said last week’s flooding should “give pause” to people downstream and give notice to everyone of the consequences of the long-term storage of waste.

Mining and milling will be a finite operation, but the resulting waste will be around for thou-sands of years, she said.

Crane is a staff writer with the Danville Register & Bee