The Cotter Uranium Mill is a 640 acre site located about 3 miles south of Lincoln Park, Colorado which itself is located just south of Canon City. The Mill opened up in 1958 and processed uranium from ore until 1987 when production halted. Studies have been conducted in and around the site including cancer studies in 1991, 1993, and 1998 as well as groundwater and lead tests. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry report from 2014, "Prior to 1980, Cotter disposed of waste in unlined ponds, which allowed contaminated liquids to leach into the groundwater.
Groundwater was shown to be contaminated as far away as the Arkansas River, which is approximately 2.5 miles down gradient from the mill." The cancer studies showed that there were more instances of cancer overall throughout the area but none at any levels considered to be out of the ordinary. In the same previously mentioned report there was evidence of contaminants in produce grown in Lincoln Park. The report states, "Because many Lincoln Park residents have orchards and gardens, eating locally grown produce is a past, current, and future potential exposure pathway."
The entrance to the Cotter Uranium Mill in Lincoln Park, Colorado.
Recently Pueblo County Commissioner Buffie McFadyen has been raising concerns that the contaminated area is still leaking into the Arkansas River which runs through Pueblo, Colorado. It isn't just the groundwater that is a concern. McFayden states, "Not just in the water but in the sediment itself." If the sediment is itself tainted the cleanup would be considerable compared to groundwater which could be filtered much easier. The sediment if left tainted also poses a threat to continue contaminating the water as erosion takes place through time. Cotter officials deny that the mill is contaminating the landscape after ponds were dug up in the 1980's and lined with plastic.
The backside of the Cotter Uranium Mill from an adjacent County Road. Officials at the gate denied the request for photographs to be taken of the site.
With reports noting that vegetation has been and will be impacted by the site concerns rise not just for humans in the area but also wildlife. The area is known to include animals such as deer, elk, and pronghorn. These animals also depend on the natural vegetation for sustenance. Along with the mammals, the local fish species in the Arkansas River and on downstream to the Pueblo Reservoir could also have been impacted by the contaminants. They too may have been impacted by the Cotter Uranium Mill.
Even if it is just a slight chance, having radioactive contaminants affecting our communities is unacceptable.
On June 11th, 2016 a story in the Pueblo Chieftain stated that Cotter Corp. will be paying the Environmental Protection Agency nearly 1,000,000 dollars for past costs of overseeing the investigation of contamination. These funds will be placed in a fund to pay for future cleanup costs at the site.
A sign noting that the entrance to the Cotter Uranium Mill is a private drive.
The Cotter Mill is barely visible from surrounding county roads.
A doe deer readies to cross train tracks to the north of the Cotter Uranium Mill.
The Arkansas River runs through Canon City, Colorado about 2.5 miles north of the Cotter Uranium Mill.
The Cotter Uranium Mill site and the Arkansas River highlighted in red from a satellite view.