Version 1
: Received: 29 July 2022 / Approved: 3 August 2022 / Online: 3 August 2022 (07:46:55 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 22 September 2022 / Approved: 23 September 2022 / Online: 23 September 2022 (03:38:21 CEST)
Version 3
: Received: 6 July 2023 / Approved: 7 July 2023 / Online: 7 July 2023 (05:29:53 CEST)
How to cite:
Webster, K. D.; Locey, K. J.; Pelletier, J. D.; Credo, J.; Ingram, J. C.; Klein, B. A. Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints2022, 2022080077. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v3
Webster, K. D.; Locey, K. J.; Pelletier, J. D.; Credo, J.; Ingram, J. C.; Klein, B. A. Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints 2022, 2022080077. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v3
Webster, K. D.; Locey, K. J.; Pelletier, J. D.; Credo, J.; Ingram, J. C.; Klein, B. A. Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints2022, 2022080077. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v3
APA Style
Webster, K. D., Locey, K. J., Pelletier, J. D., Credo, J., Ingram, J. C., & Klein, B. A. (2023). Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v3
Chicago/Turabian Style
Webster, K. D., Jani C Ingram and Barbara A Klein. 2023 "Uranium in Waters of The Southern Colorado Plateau: Implications for the Navajo Nation" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202208.0077.v3
Abstract
Uranium (U) is enriched in the waters of the southern Colorado Plateau, including waters of the Navajo Nation. The region has naturally occurring U in rocks and a history of U mining which may increase U concentrations in waters. Despite prior research into the concentration of U in the waters of the Navajo Nation, a framework has not been established to understand the variation of U in the region’s groundwater. To this end, we examined data from fivestudiesto establish where and why U is likely to be enriched in waters of the southern Colorado Plateau. We show that U concentrations are related to the presence of U-richrock bodies, surface elevation, and local aquifer salinity. Additionally, we show that the distance to the nearest mine is a significant predictor of U in water sources. Our work can act as a guide for local water withdrawal, regional water remediation and mitigation efforts, and provides a means for understanding the geographical patterns of U concentration in waters of the southern Colorado Plateau.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Commenter: Kevin D. Webster
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author