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)Bewane Jabberwock 'my sonhngzjiday, 'Januaryl6t'1931, ;

‘ Uraniumz'Northern

Reprinted from the flrint at the University of, Waterloo \

by Miles Goldstick

A uranium exploration and mining boom‘ centered in Northern Saskatchewan, is currently taking place in Canada. A first boom came in the early 7 9505 as a result of the nuclear arms race, and'the secondi began in the early 7970’s when uranium prices were inflated by a price—fixing cartel:

At present, six new mines are under construction, and the who/eof Northern ' Saskatchewan is experiencing intensive exp/oration.

Uranium mining in Northern Saskatche- wan takes the form of’ open pit and underground mines. Once the uranium ore (or rock containing uranium) is taken out of the ground the uranium is extracted by processing the ore in a mill, where it is crushed, ground down to a fine sand, and reacted with chemicals.

Uranium ore in Northern Saskatchewan generally contains only a few tenths of a percent uranium. All the rest of the rock is unwanted, and therefore considered to be waste. ln addition, huge quantities of unusable liqUid by-products are produced in the milling process. Up to 2000 pounds of waste water for example are created to

produce 1 pound of "yellowcake" — the: final product from a uranium mill. " In recent years there has been

increasing concern over the health and enwronment effects of these wastes.

It is now realized that while milling removes about 90% of the uranium, few of

the other radioactive materials are removed. In fact, 85% of the total radioactivity remains in the wastes.

' including almost all the radium and thorium. g Concern has arisen because radiation. even in low doseymay well be harmful to

life forms. Critics of uranium mining argue

that our actions. today are creating environmental dangers that will last "forever". ,

Radionuclides are not the only

hazardous component of mill wastes, however. Also of concern are heavy metals such as iron, copper and arsenic, which do not decay but are always toxic.

To date, precautions taken with solid mill wastes have been so minimal that these wastes have even been used as construction fill material, while liquid wastes have been directly dumped into lakes and streams.

At Uranium City in Northern Saskatchewan, city streets, homes, and the local High School, Candu High, have been built on radioactive mill wastes.

In April, 1977, radiation levels in the school were 60 times higher than the "acceptable" limit set by the Atomic Energy Control attempt to solve the problem, a venting system was installed in the building. Ironically, the vents designed to decontaminate the school now release

contaminants into a school ground used by i

the students.

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(1) KEY LAKE - Eldor Resources Ltd. (16.67.) Uranerz EXPL. and Mining Ltd. (326.7%) SMDC (50%)

(2) MIDWEST Esso Minerals at Carl. Ltd 50%) Numac Oil and Gas and LI . (25%) Bow Valley Industries Ltd. (15%)

(3) BLACK LAKE ' Eldorado Nuclear (50%) SMDC (50%)

(4) COLLINS an A&B ; Cull OII Can Ud. (I) Noranda Emil-oration Co. Ltd.(¥) i SMDC (33.3%) _(

(5) MAURICE aAv' Eldor Resources Ltd. (37.5%) SMDC (62.5%)

(6) MCLEAN LAKE Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd.(SOX)

lnco Ltd. (50%) “J

:. mooucwc MIDES

(A) cwrr LAKE Amok Ltd. (30%) i SMDC (20%) :

(a) BEAVERLODCE f Cenex Ltd. (t) r

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(C) BEAVERLODGE ' “I Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. (100%)

‘ (D) RABBIT LAKE Uranertz Canada Ltd.(49%) , Cull Minerals(45.9%) Gull Canada (5.1%)

:r. I “t . ' ALBERT I .a I.“ l ',N0ittii —» > I i BATTLEFORD \ i . & V I ' g m ’ .‘ sri ‘ l "" (SASKATOON ‘ 5 i I, ‘Giiifiqwi :\ . : I . i i (. i i i VORKTON' '- \Aflll ““ll. ~. ‘ \ in n '4 .MELVlLLE -_ ‘ i ' n. In.“ ,. ‘ ; i ::::...... mm / r V: i : .5WIFI ' ' \' in. l cumm MOOSEIAW I I ‘ W "warm I . V \ - ‘ .wtvuum -, too Ml. ! ° mom. L" .ESYEVAN it .s- it. in _-o,°: h __ '3

Board (AECB). In an,

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cheWan :s a controversial issue 'While the government is actively supporting the rapid expan5ion of existing mines andthe construction of several new mines. native Iandclaims havenot been settled and a group of people known as "uranium refugees" has emerged

To further express their concerns. community and environmental groups throughout Saskatchewan have boycotted the recent enwronmenlal inquiry into'the Key Lake mine.

The Saskatchewan government strongly influences the uranium industry in_ its provmce‘ as of March 1 1975 a reVi‘Sion,in. the Saskatchewan Mineral Resources Act requires all new exploration and mining prOJECIS to offer up to 50 per cent partiCipation to the provinCIal government- owned corporation, Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation (SMAC)

By 1978. 'SMAC Was one of ten corporations accounting for 60 percent of total Canadian exploration.

In 1979. according to their most recent annual ‘report, SMAC was involved in about 240 exploration and development protects. only seven of which they own 100 per cent. SMAC owns a percentage of five of the six mines under construction in Saskatchewan and one of the producing mines. <

People questioning the present form of northern development in Saskatchewan,

To deal with the problem of radiation in

— Saskatcha‘wan R

- Native people —’ rt

Uranium mining in Northern Saskat- .

~ Government data

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and the uraniun have been given voice their conce mine developnien "the construction Saskatchewan 9 1970's granted Uranium Compai .the Cliff 'Lake a Indians became trees were being and in some ca b€Slde camps air

When'they c North Committee wan reports that told they were were forced to . homes without a warning. These . become known a

In an attempt t governmentconv - examine the mo — Key Lake. The did not allow it t or land claims h of reference give

‘ More 'than a y mental hearings corporation Eldo

interest‘in the Ke least. eight lake kilometer road

buildings constructed on mill wastes, the AECB established a clean up and

mdecontamination program late in 1976.

The program, according to a Globe and Mail article of March 19, 1980, has a. budget of $4 million per year, and total

costs are estimated to be in the range of v

$20 million. ,

Of yet 'more concern» than solid contaminants are the liquid wastes which have a greater impact on the surrounding environment. The reason for this is that liquid wastes are easily carried to locations far from the mine site.

In Northern Saskatchewan, contaminated water from the Beaverlodge mines flows into Lake Athabasca. From there, contaminants ' are able to flow down the Slave River, and into the MacKenzie river which flows into the Arctic Ocean. (In the late 1950's and early 1960’s Eldorado‘Nuclear reports that wastes from the Gunner Beaverlodge mill were dumped directly into Lake Athabasca.)

Streams and lakes have long been used to , absorb pollutants. However, experience with pollution of-the GreatLakes has taught us 77 that a water system is not infinite and can

only deal with a finite quantity of pollutants. ,

The risk' of overloading a natural system is always present. ’ - To avoid this overload, surface water quality standards and- regulations for (radioactive and non-radioactive substances have been established. As“ with many industries, research by the 8.0., (Survival Alliance has shown that it is a tradition within the uranium industry to grossly

exceed water'quality standards. In addijlon, the fact that the recent Dubyna'Lake, and Key Lake mine proposals in Saskatchewan- have included effluent, releases which exceed water quality regulations for a variety of radioactive and non-radioactive substances further indicates that compliance» with 1 regulations is not taken seriously/1.3”} ' ’ ”

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uranium, radium, iron streams Beaverlodge mines all for either, or both, drinking water and aq stated by Menel Saskatchewan that at levels of arsenic are hi serious hazard.

At Fookes Lake, d Beaverlodge mines, iro 7 times the level'safe federal Environmental be‘ .5 parts per million) the level suitable for hu parts per million -- a Welfare Canada). v

Copper levels in Fook level necessary to kill parts per million — - Canadian Department i

7 At several points sur uranium concentration times the "maximu drinkrit; water e‘staij bl’eifge Canada (5?: a

A further watt-r qu .icidity of waste wate Nero Lake fOr cxamD Eldorado Nucl‘ear's B has been found by -_ Sen-k2: :3 is in the pH range of uue to the production