Public Information Assist Team U.S. Coast Guard
News Release	Date: Aug. 19, 2008 Contact: Lt.j.g. Karl Breedlove (415) 883-3311

A member of the Coast Guard's Pacific Strike Team is assisting with the removal of several dwellings in Farmington, N.M.

Petty Officer William Stewart, based in Novato, Calif., is assisting the Environmental Protection Agency with a site safety plan, contractor oversight and cost documentation.

The dwellings, on the Navajo Nation, are being removed because of the possibility of uranium contamination in their foundations.

The EPA is currently addressing the most urgent risks on the reservation: uranium-contaminated water sources and structures. This spring, the agency tested 50 water sources and more than 100 structures for radiological contamination. The EPA and the Navajo Nation EPA have launched an aggressive outreach campaign to inform residents of the dangers of consuming contaminated water. The EPA will also use its Superfund authority to address contaminated structures, and has already targeted at least 13 structures for remediation.

Beginning in the 1940s, nearly 4 million tons of uranium ore were mined at various locations throughout the Navajo Nation's 27,000 square-mile reservation. During the next five years, the EPA will complete a tiered assessment of over 500 abandoned mines, taking action to address the highest priority risks.

For more information on the Coast Guard's work at the site, contact Lt.j.g. Karl Breedlove at (415) 883-3311.

For more information on the EPA's response, contact Margot Perez-Sullivan at (415) 947-4149.

For more information about the Coast Guard's Pacific Strike Team, please contact the Public Information Assist Team at (252) 331-6000 or visit http://www.strikeforcenews.com/go/page/771/15053/.

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