Environmental Assessment of Remedial Action at the Riverton Uranium Mill Tailings Site, Riverton, Wyoming Page: 65 of 608
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Dry Cheyenne alternate disposal site
No ground-water data have been collected at the Dry Cheyenne
site; however, one well was drilled approximately 1 mile south of
the site. This well was dry; no additional well information is
available (Packer, 1984). Four other water wells were drillea 5
to 8 miles southeast and southwest of the site. The water produc-
ing zones in these wells are from 55 to 402 feet below the ground
surface, and yields range from 1 to 50 gpm. Two of the wells had
TOS concentrations of 4,130 and 5,500 mg/l (Kelly, 1984). Tue
Wyoming Class III standard for TDS is 5,000 mg/l (WDEQ, 1980).
Borrow sites
No test pits or borings were completed at the Little Wind bor-
row site so the depth to ground water at the site is unknown.
There is no other available ground-water information for this bor-
row site. Tne ground-water conditions at borrow site 2 would be
the same as those described for the tailings site.
Test pits and borings at borrow site 10 reached a maximum
depth of 31 feet. No ground water was encountered in these pits
and borings, and there is no other available ground-water informa-
tion for this site.
The Boulder Flats borrow site is just north of an active gra-
vel pit operated by the Wyoming Highway Department. This pit is
15 to 18 feet deep, and no ground water has been encountered. The
Wyoming Highway Department has conducted an exploratory drilling
program at the Boulder Flats borrow site. The boreholes penetrat-
ed shale bedrock at a depth of 40 feet and indicated that ground
water could be encountered at depths of 20 to 40 feet (Darr,
1985). There is no other ground-water information for this borrow
site.
3.7 ECOSYSTEMS
The Riverton tailings site, Gas Hills, and Dry Cheyenne alternate dis-
posal site have a semi-arid to arid, high-desert environment. Vegetation
includes typical low desert shrubs, grasses, and forbs. The riparian
zones along the Wind and Little Wind Rivers contain dense populations of
cottonwood, Russian olive, and willow trees. Appendix D, Ecosystems, con-
tains detailed listings of the plant and animal species that could be
found at or in the vicinity of the Riverton, Dry Cheyenne, and borrow
sites.
Riverton tailings site
Tke tailings site, including the large empty fields north of the tail-
ings pile, has been severely disturbed. As a result, 30 percent of tre
plant species at the site are of the primary succession type that invade
disturbed areas, such as Russian knapweed and Swainson's pea. Typical
native species include wheatgrass, sand dropseed, big sagebrush, and rab-
bitbrush (FBD, 1983a).56
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Environmental Assessment of Remedial Action at the Riverton Uranium Mill Tailings Site, Riverton, Wyoming, report, June 1, 1987; United States. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1206018/m1/65/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.