Impact still felt decades later
The Red Water Pond Road Community, Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining, and the Pipeline Road Community on Navajo Nation will be hosting their 44th annual commemoration of the 1979 Uranium Tailings Spill, which is the largest uranium tailings spill in the U.S.
The commemoration event will take place on July 15, from 7 am to 4 pm, north of Red Rock State Park on State Highway 566 near Church Rock, N.M.
There will be a 7 am walk to the spill site to offer healing prayers. Following the walk, people will gather under the shaded Arbor for food, community education, speeches, and a silent auction.
On July 16 1979, an earthen dam that held liquid uranium waste broke, releasing 1,000 tons of solid radioactive mill waste and more than 90 million gallons of acidic and radioactive liquids into the Rio Puerco. The contaminants flowed downstream through Gallup and across nine Navajo chapters and into Arizona. To this day there has been no reclamation, no study to see how far the contamination went and its impacts on local water systems and people’s health. United Nuclear Corporation has not been held accountable for the spill.
These communities are being threatened with the potential return of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation. They live in close proximity to abandoned uranium mines and mill tailings that continue to release radioactive contamination into the air and waters.
The North East Church Rock communities are demanding removal of the Quivera Mine Waste from the Superfund site in Red Water Pond Road Community village. They are concerned about the uranium contamination legacy that has poisoned the earth, including sacred waters, land, and livestock. This gathering will provide a venue to discuss and educate people about the impacts of uranium mining and milling and about the ongoing work to remove uranium contaminated soil from the surrounding areas to protect families and the environment.
Staff Reports
