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Home My WebLink About2.0 Staff ReportBOCC 1/23/95 PROJECT INFORMATION AND STAFF COMMENTS REQUEST: Amend a Conditional Use Pennit for a solid waste disposal site APPLICANT· U.S. Department of Energy LOCATION: SITE DATA· WATER· SEWER· ZONING· Located in Section 14, T5S, R93W of the 6th PM., more practically described as a parcel located six ( 6) miles north of Rifle , off of State Hwy. 13 .. Approximately 85 acres of a 440 acre site will be used as a solid waste disposal site. Hauled water Portable toilets Open Space -O/S I. RELATIONSHIP TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The subject property is located in an area with no designation on the Garfield County Comprehensive Plan Management Districts map, due to the fact that the property publically owned. II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL A. Site Description: The property is in an area known as Estes Gulch, which slopes fairly gently from the north to the south. The land fill has been partially completed in an area approximately 85 acres in size. The remaining portion of the 440 acre site is natural vegetation consisting of pinon, juniper and sage brush. B. Project Description: In 1991, by Resolution No. 90-017, Garfield County approved a Conditional Use permit for a landfill on this site. Condition #7 states the following: The disposal area will only be used for disposal of material from property in the immediate Rifle vicinity. DOE is requesting that they be allowed to dispose of four ( 4) drums of material the Salt Lake City UMTRA site that were used to perform radon diffusion -1· studies. There is a total of 536 kilograms of uranium mill tailings in three of the drums and ij!O kilograms of valves and related laboratory fittings in the last drum. (See pgs~) The contaminated materials are considered to be low level radioactive materials, that have levels of radioactivity on the higher end of the scale of the mill tailings from the Rifle sites. The material is classified as material that qualifies for disposal as mandated under Title I of Public Law 95- 604, Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA). Disposal of the material in Salt Lake City is not an option, due to fact that the Salt Lake site was closed in 1989. UL MAJOR ISSUES AND CONCERNS I. Zoning : As a conditional use permit the Board has the option of approving a permit without going to a public hearing or referral to the Planning Commission. The Board has the ability to impose conditions of approval. 2. Sta ff Comments : The letter from DOE describes the material in terms of weight and radioactivity level, but it does not certify that the material as qualifying for disposal in an UMTRCA disposal site. A condition of approval should require DOE to certify that the material in the barrels qualify for disposal at an UMTRCA disposal site. Additionally, any approval given is only for the materials identified in this application. IV. SUGGESTED FINDINGS I. That an application was submitted as required by the Garfield County Zoning Resolution of 1978, as amended. 2. That the meeting before the Board of County Commissioners was extensive and complete, that all pertinent facts, matters and issues were submitted and that all interested parties were heard at that meeting. 3. For the above stated and other reasons, the proposed use is in the best interest of the health, safety, welfare, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and welfare of the citizens of Garfield County. V. RECOMMENDATION APPROVAL, subject to the following conditions: I. All representations of the applicant, either contained in the application or stated in the public meetings, shall be considered conditions of approval unless otherwise stated. 2. That the Department of Energy submit a letter to Garfield County certifying that the barrels contain only materials that qualify for disposal under Title I of UMTRCA. 3. That the approval given is only for the materials identified in the application from the Department of Energy. --c:( .. '(/ I ' ~ Department Of Energy Albuquerque Operations Office j (@].·~ "~ ~ ~~""~ P. 0. Box 5400 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-5400 Mr. Mark Bean Director Garfield County Planning I 09 8th Street Suite 306 Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 Dear Mr. Bean: JAN 0 $ 1995 As discussed with you on January 5, 1995, the Department of Energy (DOE) requests a modification to Item 7 of Resolution Number 90-017, Conditional Use Permit for a landfill located in Garfield Co•ir••y. The. landfill, known as the Estes Gulch disposal cell, is used for the dispos<... 1esidual radioactive' material located in Rifle, Colorado, as mandated under Title I of Public Law 95-604, Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA). Item 7 of the Resolution states, "the disposal area will only be used for disposal of material from property in the immediate Rifle vicinity." The DOE requests permission to dispose uranium tailings and contaminated laboratory equipment, not associated with prope1ty in the Rifle vicinity, in the Estes Gulch disposal cell. The uranium tailings material 01iginated from the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) site in Salt Lake City, Utah, and were used to perform radon diffusion studies in support of disposal cell cover designs for the UMTRA Project. The laboratory equipment hecame contaminated as a result of performing these studies. Following is a description of the material to be disposed of: Ball"el 1: One 55 gallon drum containing uranium mill tailings with a total radium-226 activity of 277 microcuries and a weight of 250 kilograms. The 55 gallon drum is packaged inside an 85 gallon overpack drum for shipping purposes. Barrel 2: One 30 gallon drum conta:ning uranium mill tailings with a total radium-226 activity of 146 microcuries and a weight of 150 kilograms. The 30 gallon drum is packaged inside a 55 gallon overpack drum for shipping purposes. Barrel 3: One 30 gallon drum containing uranium mill tailings with a total radium-226 activity of 140 microcuries and a weight of 136 kilograms. The 30 gallon drum is packaged inside a 55 gallon overpack drum for shipping purposes. _. s- @ Prlnled on recycled paper ' j JAN 0 5 1995 Mark Bean 2 BmTel 4: One 55 gallon drum containing gate valves and related laboratory fittings with a total lead-210 activity of2 microcuries and a weight of 100 kilograms. The lead-210 is a radon daughter product. Disposal of the ahove material in the UMTRA disposal cell associated with the Salt Lake City site in not an option since this site has been closed since 1989. Your consideration of this request is appreciated. Should you have any questions, please contact me at (505) 845-5668. cc: A. Mackley, Garfield County Commission D. Hawker, Rifle City Manager 1. Deckler, CDPHE J. Hams, CDPHE-GJ C. Smythe, UMTRA R. Cornish, UMTRA M. Thomson, MK-F R. Withee, MK-F, Rifle -'1- Sincerely, ,;t,lJ"A';J 9~ Site Manager Uranium Mill Tailings Reml'rl'~l Action Project Office