Note
From the EPA's website: The Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine site ("the Site") is located at the Laguna Pueblo, about 40 miles west of Albuquerque in Paguate, Cibola County, New Mexico. The Site consists of three former tribal leases within the Laguna Pueblo. The former leaseholder, Anaconda Minerals Company, a division of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), mined and operated a uranium mine at the Site from 1952 through Februrary 12, 1982. Out of a total of 7,868 leased acres, 2,656 acres were disturbed by mining. This disturbance originally included three open pits, 32 waste dumps and 23 protore (sub-grade ore) stockpiles, four topsoil stockpiles and 66 acres of buildings and roads. During the 30 years of mining, about 400 million tons of rocks were moved within the mine area and about 25 million tons of uranium ore were transported via the Santa Fe Railroad from the mine to Anaconda's Bluewater Mill. The Mill was located 40 miles west of the Site. Mining operations detrimentally affected surface water with hazardous chemicals in quantities sufficient to support listing onto the EPA National Priorities List (NPL) for CERCLA cleanup.
Additional background information can be obtained by accessing the 1986 Environmental Impact Statement, developed by the Department of Interior.
https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.cleanup&id=0607033