Lukachukai Mountains Mining District: Cove, Lukachukai, and Round Rock Chapters, Navajo Nation, AZ

On March 5, 2024, EPA announced the listing of the Lukachukai Mountains Mining District on the National Priorities List, commonly called the Superfund List. Sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.

The documents for EPA’s listing of the site are available at the information repositories on the Navajo Nation and online at EPA's Superfund Site Information website.

Background

The site is located primarily in the Cove, Round Rock, and Lukachukai Chapters of the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona. Past uranium and vanadium mining in the Lukachukai Mountains created more than one hundred piles of mine waste. These waste materials are contaminated with radium 226, uranium and other heavy metals. The Lukachukai Mountains are home to the Navajo people, and they use it for hunting, plant gathering, and livestock grazing. The mountains provide habitat for several sensitive species, including the federally threatened Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida).

Waste piles in the Lukachukai Mountains continue to pose a threat to people and the environment. Waste from these piles has migrated downstream in washes and may have impacted groundwater. Past ore hauling activities spread contamination along miles of historical ore haul roads. The wide-spread contamination at the site requires a coordinated effort to ensure cleanup of all former mining areas and to address downstream impacts. EPA received a letter from the former Navajo Nation President in December 2022 in support of placing this site on the National Priorities List, and the current Navajo administration supports the listing.

Fact Sheet

• EPA Fact Sheet: Lukachukai Mountain Mining District is Now a Superfund Site (pdf) (2.26 MB, March 2024)
  Fact Sheet describing the placement of the Lukachukai Mountain Mining District on the Superfund National Priorities List on March 7, 2024.