Sw TASC i
Technical Assistance Services
for Communities
Cove Area Abandoned Uran um Mines
Cove Wash Watershed Assessment
Orientation Meeting
and Sampling Activities
June 16, 201 5
Meeting Summary
The orientation meeting for the Cove Wash
Watershed Assessment took place at the Cove
Chapter house on June 16, 2015. The meeting also
included the first day of sampling for soil and water
in the Cove watershed. The meeting and sampling
activities provided the community with a hands-on
introduction to upcoming soil and water sampling
and cleanup activities.
Agency attendees included staff from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency
(NNEPA). EPA contractors in attendance included
Weston Solutions and Skeo Solutions. Interns from
Dine College Environmental Institute, the New
Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and the
New Mexico Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research (NM EPSCoR) participated.
The Cove Authorized Local Emergency Response
Team (ALERT) and community members were also
part of the meeting. The meeting began with group
introductions led by EPA project manager Wilson
Yee.
During the meeting, EPA and Weston Solutions
staff discussed safety concerns and hazards
associated with working outdoors. Potential hazards
include heat stress, flash floods, trip hazards,
lightning and wildlife. Weston Solutions staff
provided an equipment demonstration and
explained how each piece of equipment is used in
Weston Solutions gave an equipment
demonstration to participants.
the field. Geobotanist Arnold Clifford gave a
presentation on how plants grow or change in soils
depending on chemical conditions or soil
disturbances.
This meeting and sampling activities
were an introduction to what lies ahead
for the community of Cove and for those
who will be involved with soil and water
sampling and the cleanup.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Technical Assistance Services for Communities 2015

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Sampling Activities
The kickoff meeting also included the first day of
sampling for soil and water in the Cove Watershed
The goal of this round of sampling is to study the
Cove watershed and determine how far uranium has
traveled from the abandoned mine sites. Sampling
will focus on wetlands and then mines with high
levels of contamination that could affect the Cove
community. These areas will be prioritized for
cleanup.
At the end of the meeting, the sampling team broke
into two teams. The teams included representatives
from Weston Solutions and interns from the Dine
Environmental Institute, the New Mexico Institute
of Mining and Technology, NM EPSCoR, Navajo
Technical University, and Eastern New Mexico
University. The teams traveled to Zone 3 - located
in Cove Wash, about one mile north of Indian Route
33 - to collect surface water and sediment samples.
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Participants taking part in collecting surface
water and sediment samples in Cove Wash.
Interns from various colleges around the
region took part in Sampling Activities and
training during the June 16, 2015 orientation
meeting.
For More Information, Please
Contact:
Tina Ulrich
Cove Community Liaison
tna_e@yahoo.com
(970) 759-7274
Wilson Yee
EPA Region 9 Project Manager
yee.wilson@epa.gov
(41 5) 972-3484
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Technical Assistance Services for Communities 2015

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