Regulatory Oversight Report for Uranium Mines and Mills in Canada: 2014
Table 1-1: CNSC staff inspection efforts at uranium mines and mills
| |
Cigar Lake |
McArthur River |
Rabbit Lake |
Key Lake |
McClean Lake |
Total |
| Number of inspections |
6 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
29 |
| Estimated inspection person-days* |
104 |
94 |
80 |
64 |
121 |
463 |
| Directives |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Action notices |
10 |
3 |
9 |
5 |
6 |
32 |
| Recommendations |
12 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
25 |
Table 1-2: Results of the 2014 IEMP water sampling conducted at the Key Lake mill
| Parameter |
Near-field (Station 3.8 David Creek ~2.3 km downstream) |
Mid-field (Station 3.3 Delta Lake ~12.3 km downstream) |
Far-field (Highway 914 at the Wheeler River Bridge ~21.5 km downstream) |
Reference (David Creek – Upstream of mill) |
Drinking water quality guideline(1) |
Aquatic life water quality guideline(2) |
Regional natural background (min-max)(3) |
|
Metals (µg/L)
|
| Arsenic |
3.35 |
0.95 |
0.18 |
0.31 |
10 |
5 |
0.05–8 |
| Copper |
0.48 |
0.14 |
0.19 |
0.17 |
(AO)<1000 |
2–4 |
0.1–15 |
| Lead |
0.07 |
< 0.03 |
0.05 |
0.17 |
10 |
1–7 |
0.05–20 |
| Molybdenum |
86.61 |
121.63 |
4.19 |
<1.5 |
_ |
73 |
0.05–78 |
| Nickel |
9.65 |
2.63 |
0.32 |
0.14 |
_ |
25–150 |
0.05–94 |
| Selenium |
2.8 |
0.70 |
< 0.11 |
< 0.11 |
50 |
1 |
0.05–3 |
| Uranium |
0.41 |
0.06 |
0.09 |
0.04 |
20 |
15 |
0.005–6 |
| Zinc |
1.08 |
< 0.12 |
3.06 |
< 0.12 |
(AO)<5000 |
30 |
0.25–50 |
|
Radionuclides (Bq/L)
|
| Lead-210(4) |
< 1 |
< 1 |
< 1 |
< 1 |
0.2 |
- |
0.002–0.07 |
| Polonium-210 |
< 0.01 |
< 0.01 |
< 0.01 |
< 0.01 |
0.1 |
- |
0.002–0.16 |
| Radium-226 |
0.01 |
0.008 |
0.005 |
0.007 |
0.5 |
- |
0.00005–0.1 |
Table 2-1: Uranium mines and mills – 2014 SCA performance ratings
| Safety and control area |
Cigar Lake |
McArthur River |
Rabbit Lake |
Key Lake |
McClean Lake |
| Management system |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Human performance management |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Operating performance |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Safety analysis |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Physical design |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Fitness for service |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Radiation protection |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Conventional health and safety |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Environmental protection |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Emergency management and fire protection |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Waste management |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Security |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Safeguards and non-proliferation |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
| Packaging and transport |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
SA |
Table 2-2: Uranium mines and mills – 2014 production data
| Production data |
Cigar Lake |
McArthur River |
Rabbit Lake |
Key Lake |
McClean Lake |
| Mining – ore tonnage (tonnes/year) |
3,318 |
108,394 |
328,126 |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
| Mining – average ore grade mined (% U expressed as U3O8) |
7.2 |
8.73 |
0.56 |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
| Mining – U mined (Mkg* U/year) |
0.20 |
8.02 |
1.58 |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
| Milling – mill ore feed (tonnes/year) |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
386,970 |
173,007 |
7,832 |
| Milling – average mill feed grade (% U expressed as U3O8) |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
0.49 |
5.03 |
3.00 |
| Milling – mill recovery (% of U) |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
97.3 |
99.4 |
97.5 |
| Milling – U concentrate produced (Mkg U/year) |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
1.60 |
7.37 |
0.20 |
| Authorized annual production (Mkg U/year) |
9.25 |
8.1 |
4.25 |
9.6 |
5.0 |
Table 2-3: Annual average parameter concentration values in effluent released to the environment in 2014
| Parameters |
MMER discharge limits |
Cigar Lake |
McArthur River |
Rabbit Lake |
Key Lake |
McClean Lake |
| Arsenic (mg/L*) |
0.5 |
0.003 |
0.0013 |
0.0056 |
0.007 |
0.0005 |
| Copper (mg/L) |
0.3 |
0.0008 |
0.0011 |
0.0040 |
0.014 |
0.0048 |
| Lead (mg/L) |
0.2 |
0.0001 |
0.0001 |
0.0002 |
<0.01 |
0.0001 |
| Nickel (mg/L) |
0.5 |
0.0019 |
0.0014 |
0.0184 |
0.0049 |
0.0230 |
| Zinc (mg/L) |
0.5 |
0.0271 |
0.0019 |
0.0010 |
0.012 |
0.0022 |
| TSS (mg/L) |
15 |
1.3 |
1.0 |
2.0 |
1.8 |
1.0 |
| pH |
6.0–9.5 |
7.0 |
7.2 |
7.3 |
6.3 |
7.2 |
Table 2-4: Distribution of MMER effluent compliance by mining sector, 2013
|
Mining sector
|
Number of mines
|
Number of mines out of compliance with at least one parameter
|
Number of mines out of compliance by parameter
|
| Total suspended solids |
Arsenic |
Copper |
Lead |
Nickel |
Zinc |
Radium- 226 |
pH range |
| Uranium |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Base metal |
44 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Precious metal |
51 |
8 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Iron |
9 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Table 2-5: A sector comparison of average effluent parameter concentrations, 2013
| Parameters |
MMER limit |
Uranium |
Base metals |
Precious metals |
Iron |
| Arsenic (mg/L) |
0.5 |
0.004 |
0.007 |
0.030 |
0.0009 |
| Copper (mg/L) |
0.3 |
0.003 |
0.015 |
0.038 |
0.006 |
| Lead (mg/L) |
0.2 |
0.0002 |
0.004 |
0.002 |
0.001 |
| Nickel (mg/L) |
0.5 |
0.023 |
0.063 |
0.023 |
0.062 |
| Zinc (mg/L) |
0.5 |
0.006 |
0.042 |
0.017 |
0.036 |
| TSS (mg/L) |
15 |
1.1 |
3.2 |
4.4 |
6.3 |
| Radium-226 (Bq/L)* |
0.37 |
0.023 |
0.028 |
0.009 |
0.007 |
| pH low |
≥6.0 |
6.8 |
7.6 |
7.5 |
7.2 |
| pH high |
≤9.5 |
7.2 |
8.0 |
7.8 |
7.5 |
Table 2-6: A sector comparison of pass/fail results of rainbow trout acute-lethality tests in 2013
| |
MMER limit |
Uranium |
Base metals |
Precious metals |
Iron |
Rainbow trout
acute-lethality test
|
Pass |
34 |
344 |
446 |
171 |
| Fail |
0 |
4 |
29 |
0 |
Table 2-7: Percentage of each metal mining sector passing all rainbow trout acute-lethality tests, 2009–2013
| Metal mining sector |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
| Uranium |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Base metals |
80 |
90 |
85 |
98 |
93 |
| Precious metals |
96 |
96 |
96 |
94 |
86 |
| Iron |
67 |
80 |
83 |
100 |
100 |
Table 2-8: Average selenium concentration in treated effluent by metal mining sector, last half of 2012 and all
of 2013
| Metal mining sector |
Selenium concentration (mg/L)* |
|
|
| Uranium |
0.003 |
| Base metals |
0.005 |
| Precious metals |
0.005 |
| Iron |
0.001 |
Table 2-9: Total number of FTE workers, number of LTIs, severity rate and frequency rate, 2014
| Total number of FTE workers and LTI statistics |
Cigar Lake |
McArthur River |
Rabbit Lake |
Key Lake |
McClean Lake |
| Total number of FTE workers1 |
833 |
692 |
669 |
499 |
739 |
| Number of LTIs2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| Severity rate3 |
0 |
0 |
11.4 |
0 |
4.3 |
| Frequency rate4 |
0 |
0 |
0.15 |
0 |
0.4 |
Table 2-10: Safety statistics of mining sectors in Saskatchewan in 2014
| Mining sector |
Number of LTIs |
Frequency rate (200,000 person-hours) |
Severity rate (200,000 person-hours) |
| Potash (underground) |
7 |
0.1 |
123.3 |
| Solution (potash) |
1 |
0.2 |
2.8 |
| Minerals (sodium sulphate, sodium chloride) |
1 |
0.8 |
69.0 |
| Hardrock (gold, diamond) |
5 |
0.3 |
13.4 |
| Coal (strip mining) |
10 |
2.0 |
15.3 |
| Uranium |
4 |
0.1 |
3.1 |
Table 3-1: Cigar Lake operation – mining production data, 2010–2014
| Mining |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Ore tonnage (tonnes/year) |
No mining |
No mining |
No mining |
234 |
3,318 |
| Average ore grade mined (% U3O8) |
No mining |
No mining |
No mining |
1.40 |
7.2 |
| U mined (Mkg* U/year) |
No mining |
No mining |
No mining |
0.04 |
0.20 |
| Authorized annual production (Mkg U/year) |
No mining |
No mining |
No mining |
9.25 |
9.25 |
Table 3-2: Cigar Lake operation – concentrations of metal and radionuclides in air, 2010–2014
| Parameter |
Reference annual air quality levels (1) |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| As (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.00057 |
0.00038 |
0.00025 |
0.00025 |
0.00025 |
| Mo (µg/m3) |
23 (2) |
0.00023 |
0.00021 |
0.00028 |
0.00021 |
0.0001 |
| Ni (µg/m3) |
0.04 (2) |
0.00165 |
0.00124 |
0.00101 |
0.00104 |
0.00067 |
| Pb (µg/m3) |
0.10 (2) |
0.0017 |
0.0018 |
0.0016 |
0.0007 |
0.0013 |
| Se (µg/m3) |
1.9 (2) |
0.00010 |
0.00005 |
0.00004 |
0.00003 |
0.00003 |
| Pb210 (Bq/m3) |
0.021 (3) |
0.000745 |
0.000333 |
0.000338 |
0.000268 |
0.00025 |
| Po210 (Bq/m3) |
0.028 (3) |
0.000178 |
0.000106 |
0.000106 |
0.000074 |
0.000086 |
| Ra226 (Bq/m3) |
0.013 (3) |
0.000006 |
0.000014 |
0.000005 |
0.000004 |
0.000008 |
| Th230 (Bq/m3) |
0.0085 (3) |
0.000007 |
0.000008 |
0.000026 |
0.000011 |
0.00001 |
| U (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.00019 |
0.00012 |
0.00009 |
0.00007 |
0.00008 |
Table 3-3: Cigar Lake operation – total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) workers and LTIs, severity rate and
frequency rate, 2010–2014
| Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Total number of FTE workers1 |
649 |
971 |
1,277 |
1,570 |
833 |
| Number of LTIs2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
| Severity rate3 |
0.0 |
1.6 |
0.0 |
5.6 |
0 |
| Frequency rate4 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.0 |
0.3 |
0 |
Table 4-1: McArthur River operation – mining production data, 2010–2014
| Mining |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Ore tonnage (tonnes/year) |
78,003 |
80,162 |
115,107 |
104,132 |
108,394 |
| Average ore grade mined (% U3O8) |
11.25 |
11.17 |
7.78 |
8.83 |
8.73 |
| U mined (Mkg* U/year) |
7.44 |
7.59 |
7.60 |
7.80 |
8.02 |
| Authorized annual production (Mkg U/year) |
8.1 |
8.1 |
8.1 |
8.1 |
8.1 |
Table 4-2: McArthur River operation – concentrations of metal and radionuclides in air, 2010–2014
| Parameter |
Reference annual air quality levels (1) |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| As (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.0002 |
0.0003 |
0.0003 |
0.0001 |
0.0001 |
| Cu (µg/m3) |
9.6 (2) |
0.0075 |
0.0097 |
0.0119 |
0.0067 |
0.00835 |
| Ni (µg/m3) |
0.04 (2) |
0.0009 |
0.0016 |
0.0012 |
0.0007 |
0.00085 |
| Pb (µg/m3) |
0.10 (2) |
0.0020 |
0.0015 |
0.0018 |
0.0014 |
0.0012 |
| Se (µg/m3) |
1.9 (2) |
0.00006 |
0.00006 |
0.00005 |
0.00003 |
0.0004 |
| Zn (µg/m3) |
23 (2) |
0.0136 |
0.0247 |
0.7721 |
0.01065 |
0.01225 |
| Pb210 (Bq/m3) |
0.021 (3) |
0.00036 |
0.00043 |
0.00045 |
0.00034 |
0.00032 |
| Po210 (Bq/m3) |
0.028 (3) |
0.00015 |
0.00013 |
0.00012 |
0.0001 |
0.000095 |
| Ra226 (Bq/m3) |
0.013 (3) |
0.00007 |
0.00003 |
0.00004 |
0.00001 |
0.000025 |
| Th230 (Bq/m3) |
0.0085 (3) |
0.00005 |
0.00002 |
0.00001 |
0.00001 |
0.00001 |
| U (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.0040 |
0.0021 |
0.0012 |
0.0005 |
0.0005 |
Table 4-3: McArthur River operation – total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) workers and LTIs, severity rate
and frequency rate, 2010–2014
| Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Total number of FTE workers1 |
835 |
966 |
1,017 |
914 |
692 |
| Number of LTIs2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| Severity rate3 |
45.1 |
14.4 |
8.0 |
0 |
0 |
| Frequency rate4 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0 |
0 |
Table 5-1: Mining production data – Rabbit Lake operation, 2010–2014
| Mining |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Ore tonnage (tonnes/year) |
199,026 |
197,397 |
225,282 |
255,154* |
328,126 |
| Average ore grade mined (% U3O8) |
0.89 |
0.91 |
0.84 |
0.59* |
0.56 |
| U mined (Mkg** U/year) |
1.49 |
1.51 |
1.62 |
1.28 |
1.57 |
Table 5-2: Milling production data – Rabbit Lake operation, 2010–2014
| Milling |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Mill ore feed (tonnes/year) |
234,076 |
209,040 |
260,299 |
334,976 |
386,970 |
| Average annual mill feed grade (% U3O8) |
0.78 |
0.83 |
0.71 |
0.54 |
0.49 |
| Percent uranium recovery |
96.8 |
96.8 |
96.8 |
97.2 |
97.3 |
| U concentrate produced (Mkg* U/year) |
1.46 |
1.46 |
1.48 |
1.59 |
1.60 |
| Authorized annual production (Mkg U/year) |
4.25 |
4.25 |
4.25 |
4.25 |
4.25 |
Table 5-3: Rabbit Lake operation – concentrations of metal and radionuclides in air, 2010–2014
| Parameter |
Reference annual air quality levels (1) |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| As (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.000533 |
0.000483 |
0.000233 |
0.000175 |
0.000217 |
| Ni (µg/m3) |
0.04 (2) |
0.000850 |
0.000800 |
0.000033 |
0.000007 |
0.000138 |
| Pb210 (Bq/m3) |
0.021 (3) |
0.000012 |
0.000017 |
0.000012 |
0.000010 |
0.000013 |
| Ra226 (Bq/m3) |
0.013 (3) |
0.000004 |
0.000002 |
0.000000 |
0.000002 |
0.0000024 |
| Th230 (Bq/m3) |
0.0085 (3) |
0.000039 |
0.000003 |
0.000001 |
0.000001 |
0.0000026 |
| U (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.001800 |
0.001500 |
0.000917 |
0.001033 |
0.001960 |
Table 6-1: Key Lake operation – milling production data, 2010–2014
| Milling |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Mill ore feed (tonnes/year) |
196,180 |
189,821 |
193,511 |
184,099 |
173,007 |
| Average annual mill feed grade (% U3O8) |
4.68 |
4.85 |
4.61 |
5.03 |
5.03 |
| Percentage of uranium recovery |
98.4 |
98.7 |
98.9 |
99.3 |
99.4 |
| U concentrate produced (Mkg* U/year) |
7.66 |
7.69 |
7.52 |
7.75 |
7.37 |
| Authorized annual production (Mkg U/year) |
7.85 |
7.85 |
7.85 |
7.85 |
9.60 |
Table 6-2: Key Lake operation – concentrations of metal and radionuclides in air, 2010–2014
| Parameter |
Reference annual air quality levels (1) |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| As (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.00150 |
0.00222 |
0.00266 |
0.00166 |
0.00444 |
| Ni (µg/m3) |
0.04 (2) |
0.00092 |
0.00186 |
0.00222 |
0.00118 |
0.00340 |
| Pb210 (Bq/m3) |
0.021 (3) |
0.00048 |
0.00038 |
0.00034 |
0.00032 |
0.00044 |
| Ra226 (Bq/m3) |
0.013 (3) |
0.00010 |
0.00010 |
0.00010 |
0.00010 |
0.00022 |
| Th230 (Bq/m3) |
0.0085 (3) |
0.00010 |
0.00014 |
0.00028 |
0.00010 |
0.00022 |
| U (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.0046 |
0.01286 |
0.0074 |
0.00646 |
0.00794 |
Table 6-3: Key Lake operation – total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) workers and LTIs, severity rate and
frequency rate, 2010–2014
| Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Total number of FTE workers1 |
786 |
886 |
736 |
679 |
499 |
| Number of LTIs2 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Severity rate3 |
26.0 |
13.1 |
21.6 |
8.5 |
0 |
| Frequency rate4 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.0 |
0 |
Table 7-1: McClean Lake operation – mining production data, 2010–2014
| Mining1 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Ore tonnage (tonnes/year) |
360 |
No mining |
1,022 |
No mining |
No mining |
| Average ore grade mined (% U3O8) |
3.96 |
No mining |
4.76 |
No mining |
No mining |
| U mined (Mkg* U/year) |
0.02 |
No mining |
0.04 |
No mining |
No mining |
Table 7-2: McClean Lake operation – milling production data, 2010–2014
| Milling |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Mill ore feed (tonnes/year) |
97,167* |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
7,832 |
| Average annual mill feed grade (% U3O8) |
0.80 |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
3.00 |
| Percentage of uranium recovery |
95.7 |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
97.5 |
| Uranium concentrate produced (Mkg** U) |
0.67* |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
No milling1 |
0.200 |
| Authorized annual production (Mkg U/year) |
3.08 |
3.08 |
5.00 |
5.00 |
5.00 |
Table 7-3: McClean Lake operation – concentrations of metal and radionuclides in air, 2010–2014
| Parameter |
Reference annual air quality levels (1) |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| As (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.001343 |
0.000565 |
0.000350 |
0.000226 |
0.000420 |
| Cu (µg/m3) |
9.6 (2) |
0.000036 |
0.000025 |
0.016789 |
0.036192 |
0.013888 |
| Mo (µg/m3) |
23 (2) |
0.000000 |
0.000000 |
0.000061 |
0.000657 |
0.000721 |
| Ni (µg/m3) |
0.04 (2) |
0.000001 |
0.000000 |
0.000259 |
0.000258 |
0.000420 |
| Pb (µg/m3) |
0.10 (2) |
0.000001 |
0.000001 |
0.000453 |
0.000422 |
0.000501 |
| Zn (µg/m3) |
23 (2) |
0.000008 |
0.000002 |
0.006790 |
0.005896 |
0.005939 |
| Pb210 (Bq/m3) |
0.021 (3) |
0.000521 |
0.000588 |
0.000388 |
0.000763 |
0.000277 |
| Po210 (Bq/m3) |
0.028 (3) |
0.000185 |
0.000194 |
0.000130 |
0.000159 |
0.000088 |
| Ra226 (Bq/m3) |
0.013 (3) |
0.000008 |
0.000010 |
0.000008 |
0.000013 |
0.000010 |
| Th230 (Bq/m3) |
0.0085 (3) |
0.000006 |
0.000003 |
0.000004 |
0.000000 |
0.000005 |
| U (µg/m3) |
0.06 (2) |
0.003183 |
0.000657 |
0.000444 |
0.000328 |
0.000576 |
Table 7-4: McClean Lake operation – total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, LTIs, severity rate and
frequency rate, 2010–2014
| Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Total number of FTE workers1 |
225 |
163 |
249 |
348 |
739 |
| Number of LTIs2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| Severity rate3 |
13.3 |
0.0 |
1.2 |
0.0 |
4.3 |
| Frequency rate4 |
0.4 |
0.0 |
0.4 |
0.0 |
0.4 |
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