A I •	1 p£i Black Mesa Mining District
^/ClM Abandoned Uranium Mines
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Region 9 • San Francisco, CA • September 2020
Black Mesa Mining District is in the Central Abandoned Uranium
Mine (AUM) Region and includes the following chapters:
Black Mesa, Chinle, Tachee-Blue Gap, and Tselani-Cottonwood
Background
Funds are available to assess all 19 abandoned uranium
mines in the Black Mesa Mining District (see map for
locations). One mine has been assessed and funds are
available to conduct a water study and clean up the mine.
Funds are also available to assess an additional 13 mine
claims (containing 18 mine sites). These funds are provided
by two legal settlements between Navajo Nation and the
United States: the Phase 1 Settlement in 2015 and the Phase
2 Settlement in 2016.
Uranium was mined in the Black Mesa Mining District
in northeastern Arizona from the 1950s to 1960s. Most
mines were surface mines, but two also had underground
workings (Claim 7-Claim 10, and Etsitty No. 1). Beginning
in the 1990s, the Navajo Nation Abandoned Mine Lands
Reclamation Program addressed physical hazards at these
mines. The largest producing mine in the district was Claim
7-Claim 10, producing 9,937 tons of ore between 1964 and
1967. The Claim 28 mine was selected for a water study to
determine if it is causing water contamination.
Settlement Trusts Cleanup Work
Together, the Phase 1 and Phase 2
Settlements provide funds to assess,
conduct a water study at, and clean
up the Claim 28 mine in the Tachee-
Blue Gap chapter. The United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA), in consultation with the
Navajo Nation Environmental
Protection Agency (NNEPA), named
Claim 28 one of 46 "priority" mines
for cleanup on Navajo Nation. Concerns
over Claim 28's possible effect on
water quality and its location close to
homes made it a priority for cleanup.1
A trustee for Phase 1, Sadie Hoskie,
was selected to conduct detailed
assessments under the Phase 1 Trust.
The results of the Phase 1 assessments
were included in reports called
Removal Site Evaluations (RSEs).
Results in the Claim 28 RSE were
shared with the community in 2018.
The Phase 2 Settlement also provides funds to assess all the remaining mines
in the Black Mesa Mining District, and a water study at Claim 28. Derrith
Watchman-Moore was selected as the Trustee for Phase 2 assessment and
cleanup work. The Trustee Watchman-Moore and Team are also investigating an
additional 13 mines in Western Navajo, four mines in Tse Tah, and a water study
at the Saytah / George Simpson 1 Incline mine in Tse Tah.
Looking west from the edge of Black Mesa.
' USEPA and NNEPA prioritized 46 mines (called priority mines) out of the 523 on the Navajo Nation based on gamma radiation levels and prox-
imity to homes, or potential for water contamination identified in the preliminary assessments. The Trust Settlements are responsible for 16 of
these 46 priority mines.

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What Has Been Done?
•	The Navajo Nation Abandoned Mine
Lands Reclamation Program reclaimed
mines by addressing physical hazards.
•	The Phase 1 Trustee, Sadie Hoskie,
began assessment work at Claim 28
mine in 2015.
•	In Summer 2018, Trustee IToskie,
completed the investigation, which
included biological and cultural surveys,
radiation scanning, aerial photography,
and soil and water sampling. The findings
were shared with the community in
October 2018 and are documented in a
RSE report.
What is Happening Now?
•	Trustee Watchman-Moore has begun work
on the water study at Claim 28, including
biological and cultural surveys, geologic
mapping, and geophysical surveys.
What Happens Next?
•	Trustee Watchman-Moore will prepare plans to assess the
remaining 18 AUMs in the Black Mesa Mining District.
•	The Trust team will also prepare a work plan for water and
sediment sampling at the Claim 28 water study after reviewing
the results from the geophysical and geologic studies.
•	After an additional legal document is executed, Trustee
Watchman-Moore will begin the cleanup process at the Claim 28
mine, beginning with a risk assessment using the results from the
Phase 1 Trust assessment.
Reduce Your Contact with
Uranium and Radiation
Steps to keep yourself safe:
•	Stay away from abandoned mines and
mills
•	Find out if your home is a contaminated
structure
•	Use regulated water for human needs
•	Never use unregulated water for human
needs—even if it looks ok
•	Use good water hauling practices to keep your water clean
•	Get regular cancer screenings, like pap tests, mammograms,
colonoscopies, and other cancer screenings
KEEP OUT
Ba'ha'dzid - Doo Ko'ne'na'adaa'da
AT MINES
USEPA at 1-800-231-3075
Superfund Process on the Navajo Nation
Assessment
ffll
Access
Agreements
Resources
Surveys
Signs and
Fences
Site
Evaluation
Decision Making

Engineering
Evaluation /
Cost Analysis
Public
Comment
Period
Action
Memorandum
Clean Up
Operations &
Maintenance
Design
O'OX
Action
o«ov
Long-term
O&M

Community Involvement and planning for a site's future are ongoing throughout the process
Coordination with the Navajo Nation government including NNEPA, Navajo AML, and the Dine Uranium Remediation Advisory Commission
For More Information
Freyja Knapp
Elsa Johnson
Dariel Yazzie
Remedial Project Manager
Community Involvement Coordinator
Environmental Program Supervisor
USEPA Region 9
USEPA Region 9
NNEPA Superfund
(415) 972-3025
(415) 947-3552
(928) 871-7601
knapp.freyja@epa.gov
johnson.elsa@epa.gov
darielyazzie@navajo-nsn.gov
USEPA Navaio Abandoned Uranium Mine webpage: www.epa.gov/navaio-nation-
uranium-cleanup
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