Uranium in H2O Supply of Grand Canyon

Dozens of new mines threaten to industrialize iconic and regionally 
sacred wildlands, destroy wildlife habitat and permanently pollute or 
deplete aquifers.

The Grand Canyon

Do you remember how you felt when first you stood on the rim of the Grand Canyon? I remember how insignificant I felt amongst the glory of the rocks, muted colors and glittering ribbon of light far down in the Canyon that is the Colorado River.


Historical Perspective

Supreme Court Justice Willis Van Devanter described the Grand Canyon as a place of wonder:

It is the greatest eroded canyon in the United States, if not in the world, is over a mile in depth, has attracted wide attention among explorers and scientists, affords an unexampled field for geologic study, is regarded as one of the great natural wonders, and annually draws to its borders thousands of visitors.

However, uranium mining left a toxic legacy to the Grand Canyon. Radioactive residues have been accumulating in and around Grand Canyon for more than 50 years. Permanently polluted land and water, resulting from federal programs in the 1950s that encouraged uranium prospecting on public lands. When the market tanked, these mining companies left behind thousands of poisonous surface sites and deadly groundwater plumes, like the ones polluting the streams that flow through the Park.

. . .Uranium is a special concern because it is both a toxic heavy metal and a source of radiation. . . . its effect on fish in the Colorado River at the bottom of the gorge, and on the bald eagles, California condors and bighorn sheep that depend on the Canyon's seeps and springs.  -Steve Martin, former Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent.

The Mining Companies ARE BACK

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar stood up for protecting the lands around the national park, putting a million acres off limits to new mining claims. Today, Park protection measures and the basis of authority of the Interior Secretary to enforce such measures is under attack. EarthJustice on Side of Grand Canyon
Case Number # 2340 Earthjustice has intervened to defend the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims across 1 million acres of public lands adjacent to the Grand Canyon.

What Is Happening Now?

On the side of the Grand Canyon is Earthjustice and their clients, a diverse but dedicated group dedicated to protecting the Grand Canyon.

Havasupai Tribe,
Grand Canyon Trust,
Center for Biological Diversity,
Sierra Club, and
National Parks Conservation Association

What Can I Do Now? 

Write comments to support Secretary Salazar’s proposed ban on new uranium claims within Grand Canyon watersheds and call your congressional representatives and ask them to support the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act.

Take Action Today

Thank Secretary Salazar.
Read about Mining and Fracking near Grand Canyon