Uranium Mine Could Use Three Billion Gallons Of Water Per Year

By Dallas K. Weston

The Gazette-Virginian

The proposed uranium mining and milling project planned for the Chatham area could take more than three billion gallons of water per year from the Roanoke River Basin.

Speaking before the Roanoke River Bi-State Commission at its meeting in Henderson, N.C., last week, Anne Cockrell of Danville reported the figures to the group. (See related letter to the editor on today’s opinion page)

According to Cockrell’s figures, if the mine and mill are opened and operated 365 days a year, 3,181,952,360 gallons of water will be used each year.

She pointed out Virginia Uranium has projected a 30 to 40-year lifespan for the proposed mining operation. Water sources close to the site, she said, include the Banister and Roanoke Rivers.

(The rest of this article, and Letters to the Editor, are available to print edition subscribers only, which we are not. Sorry! We hope to bring you more on this later today, however.)

http://www.gazettevirginian.com/news/news/uranium/808-uranium-mine-could-use-three-billion-gallons-of-water-per-year.html