4 million cubic yards of radioactive waste in CO town’s backyard

“Cotter Corp.’s uranium mill near Cañon City, CO has the state’s backing to permanently dispose of radioactive waste in its tailings ponds, despite state and independent reports over a 30-year period showing the ponds’ liners leak.”

However, the Denver Post reports that in “a 2004 internal state health department memo, it went so far as to describe the site as “unusable” for hazardous- waste disposal under state regulations.” Nevertheless, state regulators say the leak does not pose an immediate threat to residents because they no longer drink well water; despite the fact that the state cannot tell whether molybdenum or uranium is among the contaminants leaking.