LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON LE CELLIER (LANGOGNE, LOZERE) SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND MINE From about 1956 to 1988, the mines produced ore containing 2283 t of uranium. INSTALLATIONS FOR HEAP LEACHING Exploitation, today at an end, began in 1970. The installations produced 1177 t of uranium in the pre-concentrates. Before 1977, CFM treated poor ore (0.41%) by slow leaching; and after the startup of the reprocessing plant, by accelerated leaching [Desgraupes 91; Info iii-iv.92]. TREATMENT MILL The plant was in operation from 1978 to 1990. The plant and the leaching installations treated uranium from mines in the Grandrieu concession: le Cellier, le Villeret, les Pierres Plantées, les Bondons. The nominal capacity amounted to 250 or 300 t/yr of uranium. The plant produced 1573 t of uranium in the form of magnesium uranate with 70% uranium [Desgraupes 91]. WASTES In the surface mine are stored 1,700,000 t of tailings from treatment in the mill, and sludge from treatment at the water purification station. One also finds on the site 4,080,000 t of leached minerals and 164,000 t of treatment sludge stored with the minerals. The activity of the radium 226 amounts to 43 TBq. The activity of the radium 226 and of the thorium 230 is 86 TBq. DISMANTLING/REMEDIATION According to Andra, “all the installations have been dismantled . . . Site remediated; old leaching heaps remodeled and provided with an inert, draining cover, surface mine filled and covered with waste rocks. Establishment of a network of drains . . . The site enclosed. The water treatment station, constructed during the remediation program, is in operation [Andra 99]. |