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
!
DISTRIBUTION: ED0-7742 E..;;=
Central File li~
{;s;;=
f NOV e 1 m9 WMUR Files ELD WMUR r/f SECY f(i :=
WMUR c/f JCook NMSS r/f CKammerer
- T==-
ED0 r/f OCA
[j;.~~
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 Ep
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 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 original signed by n, o. smith M i
t Lee V. Gossick Executive Director for Operations
Enclosure:
ED Testimony dtd 10/22/79 re pg -v +
90018185 Church Rock dam failure 11/ d /79 fh 11/16/79 2
4 b.IIler:ng UR WMUg
/
WM Wj NMSS ED0 s
.FF,e.
- M RAScadtfo REBrdwMj (JBMf%
WJDircks LVGossick E
11/(.) /79 11/ /4 /79 11//4/79 Il/\\\\/79 11/
/79 11/
/79 NRC FORM 318 (9-76) NRCM ONO W u. s. sovenNurNT PatNTING OFFICES 8,74 = S26-2 l
L
]