In a park, nestled in a red rock canyon outside Moab, Utah — a short drive from a giant pile of uranium tailings — a crowd gathered for a celebration. Elected officials and community members mingled, and enjoyed refreshments. Volunteers placed pieces of yellow cake in small paper bowls.
It was a facetious nod to the gathering’s purpose: to celebrate the removal of 10 million tons of toxic uranium tailings from the banks of the Colorado River.
“You never would have thought you would have all these people congratulating themselves in the community on moving 10 million tons,” said Sarah Fields, executive director of the nonprofit Uranium Watch. “They seem to be really dedicated to getting this done.”
Communities throughout the American West have spent decades cleaning up what the mining industry left behind. In Moab, those leftovers are the visible pile of uranium tailings, left alongside on the banks of arguably the region’s most important water source.
Fields’ group advocates for the protection of public health and the environment from the impacts of uranium mining. She and others gathered at the party have a long history with this project.
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