Arizona permits higher arsenic level at Energy Fuels' Pinyon Plain well
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has approved Energy Fuels Resources Inc. to increase arsenic concentrations at a monitoring well at the Pinyon Plain uranium mine. The decision follows a Grand Canyon Trust analysis showing that three of four regional wells exceed EPA drinking‑water limits, all located at the mine site. The analysis draws on 32 years of groundwater data from 40 locations collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and state regulators. Energy Fuels' senior vice president says arsenic is naturally occurring in the mineral‑rich area.
Key facts
- The permit allows arsenic concentrations to rise above the alert threshold at one well.
- Three of four regional wells exceed the EPA limit, all located at the mine.
- The study incorporated data spanning 32 years from 40 groundwater sites.
- The mine sits within a protected national monument, nine miles from the South Rim.
- Energy Fuels positions the mine as one of the country's first new uranium projects amid nuclear revival.
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Why it matters
Elevated arsenic could affect water quality near a protected Grand Canyon monument.
What changed
First published from Inside Climate News