FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you have questions or concerns, please contact any of the people listed below:
PUI MAN WONG
U.S. EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
75 Hawthorne St. (SFD-3)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 972-3242 or Toll Free (800) 231-3075
wong.puiman@epa.gov
LILLIE LANE
Navajo Nation EPA, Public Information Officer
P.O. Box 339
Window Rock, AZ 86515
(928)871-6092
Iane_lillie50@hotmail.com
CASSANDRA BLOEDEL
Navajo Nation EPA
P.O. Box 339
Window Rock, AZ 86515
(928)871-7816
navajotrash@yahoo.com
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 9
Pui Man Wong (SFD-3)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Official Business
Penalty for Private use, $300
Address Service Requested
GAYL SHINGOITEWA-HONANIE
Hopi EPO (Primary Hopi Contact)
P.O.Box 123
Kykotsmovi.AZ 86039
(928) 734 -3631
GHonanie@hopi.nsn.us
NAT NUTONGIA
Hopi Water Resources Department
P.O.Box 123
Kykotsmovi.AZ 86039
(928)734-3711
NNutongla@hopi.nsn.us
JOHN KRAUSE
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Wetsern Region Office
P.O.Box 10 (MS 620 EM)
Phoenix, AZ 85001-0010
(602)379-3491
Fax (602) 379-3765
OPI TRIBE
TUBA CITY COMMUNITY
UPPER AND LOWER MOENKOPI VILLAGES
INTRODUCTION: TUBA CITY OPEN DUMP SITE ISSUES
MAY 2006
ISSUES AT THE TUBA CITY OPEN DUMP SITE
Based upon information provided by life-long residents, the Hopi Water Resources
Program, Environmental Protection Office (Hopi EPO), and Navajo Nation Environmental
Protection Agency (NN EPA) are investigating whether the Tuba City Open Dump site may
contain radioactive and hazardous waste. This mixed waste (radioactive and hazardous
waste) was allegedly dumped during the operation of the former Rare Metals Corporation
of America, a uranium mill tailings facility located approximately six miles northeast of Tuba
City (see map). The Rare Metals facility processed uranium ore into high-grade uranium
from as early as 1962 to 1968 to support U.S. military efforts.
Recent site investigations and groundwater monitoring indicate the presence of
radionuclides in the shallow groundwater. Levels for radionuclides at the Tuba City
Open Dump site exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) maximum
contaminant levels. However, the site investigation indicates that the deep groundwater
at the Open Dump is within safe drinking water levels. The shallow groundwater is of
concern to all parties involved in this project. Both the shallow and deep groundwater
are not being used for drinking water. Navajo Tribal Utility Authority is providing water to
Navajo residents. Hopi residents get their drinking water from domestic wells nearby the
Open Dump site. So far, neither Navajo nor Hopi drinking water has been impacted.
In 1997, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) covered and fenced off twenty acres of
the site. However, there were no other actions taken for the remaining portions of the
site and the exposed old trash pit area remains unfenced (see map). The Hopi Tribe and
Navajo Nation would like the Open Dump site to be clean closed, which means moving
the waste off tribal lands to a facility designed to accept contaminated solid waste material.
Tuba City Open Dump Site
SuperFuels
Convenience
Store
Rare Metals
Uranium Mill
Exposed Old Trash
Pit Area Not Fenced
Landfill Boundary
(approximate)
Hopi Boundary
map not to scale
GLOSSARY
Clean Closure: Remove all
contamination from the landfill
and replace with clean fill.
Fill: "soil" material used to fill
in spaces where contaminated
material was removed.
Hot Spot: An area that has the
highest level of concentrated
contamination.
Landfill: A regulated site with
controls for waste disposal.
Landfill Closure: Federal
solid waste landfill closure
regulations require a
permanent cover (cap) to be
placed over the landfill with
monitoring wells.
Maximium Contaminant
Levels (MCLs): Federal Water
Standards used to measure
contaminant levels in drinking
water and groundwater.
Open Dump: A site where
trash is disposed that does
not comply with federal
landfill requirements.
Permanent Cap: An
engineered cover placed over
the area used to reduce the
amount of water entering
into the surface.
Radionuclides:
Radioactive materials.
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SITE BACKGROUND
OPTIONS FOR THE TUBA CITY OPEN DUMP SITE
The Tuba City Open Dump site is located on land under two tribal juris-
dictions. In 1996, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals designated 28 acres
of the approximately 30-acre site to be on the Hopi Reservation and two
acres to be on the Navajo Reservation. The Open Dump site is located
adjacent to Arizona State Highway 160, approximately one mile east of the
State Highway 264 junction, across from the Tuba City fairgrounds. The site
consists of two main units: a newer section used from the 1980s until 1997
and an older area that was used from the 1940s until the 1980s.
Since the 1940s, the site was a dumping area where local businesses,
schools, agencies, and the public dumped waste. During this time, it was
not regulated nor supervised as a solid waste disposal site. The BIA peri-
odically provided maintenance to the site by constructing and back filling
trenches at the dump site. In addition, both BIA and the tribes used the
facility for municipal solid waste disposal. In 1995, the BIA initiated assess-
ment studies to determine the waste deposition, the status of the hydrol-
ogy, and local soil impacts at the Open Dump site. The Tuba City Open
Dump site was administratively and operationally closed in 1997.
SITE TIMELINE
I 940: Tuba City Open Dump began
operation as an unregulated and
unsupervised waste disposal site.
I 995: BIA initiated various studies
to determine waste deposition,
subsurface groundwater and soil
conditions, and closure strategies and
cost.
I 996: The Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals designated 28 acres of the
approximately 30-acre site to be on
the Hopi Reservation with the rest on
the Navajo Reservation.
I 997: Tuba City Open Dump was
administratively and operationally
closed in August.
WHAT ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN DONE SO FAR?
Since 1999, the Tuba City Open Dump team (consisting of US EPA, BIA, Hopi Tribe and NN EPA) has conducted
many assessment activities to understand the environmental conditions at the Open Dump site. The majority
of these investigations have been funded by BIA. These assessments include:
- waste characterization (on-going)
- groundwater assessment and monitoring (on-going)
- comparison of radioactive waste material at the Open Dump to former nearby
operational facility (on-going)
- closure alternative analysis plan (on-going)
- site survey (in progress)
- investigation of health concerns associated with the Open Dump (in progress)
- records search at Grand Junction Colorado (in progress)
- background study of naturally occurring uranium (in progress)
- geophysical survey (recently completed by USGS)
- soil gas survey (completed)
Additionally, the Tuba City Open Dump team and the Vil-
lages of Moenkopi meet several times a year and also hold
conference calls to discuss on-going investigations, plan
future actions for the site, and coordinate community in-
volvement activities.
Pictured on the right:
Data collection at a groundwater monitoring well near the Tuba City
Open Dump site. As part of the site investigation currently underway
at the Open Dump site, groundwater chemistry data is gathered to
determine what contaminants may possibly be in the groundwater.
US EPA, the Hopi Tribe, NN EPA and BIA, are working to find an appropriate landfill closure option for the Open
Dump site. All options considered must be consistent with federal and tribal legal requirements and must protect
human health, the environment, and future land use. Currently, there are three possibilities for the Open Dump
site:
Clean Closure - Removing all contamination from the landfill and then backfill the area with clean filL
Permanent Cap with Monitoring - Placing a permanent cap over the entire landfill and installing a
groundwater monitoring network to monitor the landfill.
Hotspot Removal with Monitoring - Removing the areas of the landfill where contaminants exceed
regulatory levels, capping the entire landfill, and installing a groundwater monitoring network to
monitor the landfill.
In addition to finding the best option for the Tuba City Open Dump, results from the soil and groundwater
sampling events will determine further actions in the surrounding area.
FUTURE ACTIONS
A closure alternatives analysis report is being developed to determine options for the cleanup of the Tuba City
Open Dump site. The report will identify the source of waste contamination in the dump site and the potentially
responsible party or parties. The report will also outline which of the cleanup options (described in the section
above) is the most appropriate for the site. Next steps include:
• Completion of BIA investigative activities to determine the extent and location of radionuclide
contamination.
• Contact and update the Department of Energy on investigation efforts and to discuss the findings.
• Conduct a public meeting scheduled for September/October 2006 to share information with the
communities and public.
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the Tuba City Open Dump site, please call the
toll free number (800) 231-3075 and leave a message with your name or address for the Tuba City
Open Dump mailing list or fill out this portion and return it to: Pui Man Wong, U.S. EPA Community
Involvement Coordinator, 75 Hawthorne St. (SFD-3), San Francisco, CA 94105. You may also fax this
portion to Pui Man Wong at (415) 947-3528 or subscribe to the Tuba City Open Dump listserve by
emailing wong.puiman@epa.gov.
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