ML20125D077
| ML20125D077 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 11/21/1979 |
| From: | Gossick L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Cannon H SENATE |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20125D080 | List: |
| References | |
| REF-WM-28 NUDOCS 8001130220 | |
| Download: ML20125D077 (1) | |
Text
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LVGossick Eleins WJDircks GErtter JBMartin NG 11 REBrowning S r RAScarano ki The Honorable Howard W. Cannon HJMiller I.~. .
United States Senate .
E Washine' con, D.C. 20510 . E p
Dear senator Cannon:
Your letter of October 5,1979, forwarded to us from the Department of "
Energy by letter of October 31. 1979, requested infomation concerning ..,
pote:ntial effects of a uranium. mill, tailings dam failure which occurred h in Church Rock, New Mexico, on Lake Head.
}I The stream into which tailings.were. spilled, t'he Rio Puerco, becomes dry $
at a point about 20 miles west.of the New Mexico / Arizona border. Only
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during infrequent periods will there be any flow in portions of the !..
Rio Puerco which connect with the Little Colorado.and Colorado Rivers :
which in turn feed Lake Mead.. .An. extensive monitoring program.has been :
conducted on the stream by the State of New Mexico and the NRC. From the 'i 'i results of this program and location.of the.Rio Puerco, it is concluded p H that no contamination of Lake Mead will result from the Church Rock dam E ^
failure. . ..
Also in response to your request, enclosed is testimony recently delivered by the NRC staff before the House Subcomittee on Energy.and.the Environment :
of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs on October 22, 1979; this testimony gives a more complete. description of the tailings dam failure.
I trust this infomation is responsive to your request.. If you.need additional assistance, please contact me.
Sincerely, y p
i original signed by n, o. smith M t
Lee V. Gossick ' l Executive Director for Operations ;
Enclosure:
ED ...
Testimony dtd 10/22/79 re Church Rock dam failure pg -v + 90018185 : -
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