DOE wants to move radioactive waste away from Colorado River

[NVMojo]

The Energy Department wants to move a 12-million ton pile of radioactive waste away from the Colorado River, a major source of drinking water for about 25 million people, including Las Vegas.

The radioactive waste, more than 100 miles north of Las Vegas, did not pose an immediate acute health threat to the local water supply, but officials are glad it's moving.

The Energy Department on Wednesday said it plans to move the radioactive waste on the banks near Moab, Utah, from the old Atlas uranium mining operation, to a closed storage facility about 30 miles to the north, near Crescent Junction, Utah.

Although the Southern Nevada Water Authority did not demand the move from 750 feet from the river, the news that something will be done was welcomed.

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http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-gov/2005/apr/07/518567070.html