Fremont National Forest/White King and Lucky Lass Uranium Mines (USDA)

Overview

Two uranium mines, White King and Lucky Lass, operated in the Fremont National Forest near Lakeview, Oregon during the 1950s and 1960s. They left behind contaminated soil, surface water, sediment, and groundwater spread across 140 acres. The site was added to the National Priorities List in April 1995 and is classified as a federal facility, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service owning the land and the EPA overseeing cleanup under CERCLA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.

The main contaminants are radioactive materials and heavy metals. At the White King mine area, EPA identified arsenic in sediment, groundwater, soil, and leachate, along with mercury, radium, antimony, manganese, selenium, and radon. Both mine sites have large ponds holding acidic water and overburden stockpiles, which are piles of waste rock and soil, containing hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of contaminated material. The White King pond alone holds about 80 million gallons of acidic water and has required periodic neutralization.

Major cleanup work ran from 2005 to 2006. Workers recontoured and consolidated contaminated stockpiles, placed soil covers, built a wetland, and installed erosion controls. Cleanup was organized into operable units, which are distinct areas tackled separately. Operable Unit 1 addressed tailings removal between 1995 and 1996. Operable Unit 2 covered the White King area, with a remedy selected in 2001 and later modified in 2006 to add solidification and stabilization of contaminated material, drainage controls, and additional engineering measures. Physical construction across the whole site is now complete, and the site has achieved what EPA calls "sitewide ready for anticipated use" status, meaning all cleanup goals for current and future land uses have been met.

Permanent land-use restrictions remain in place because radionuclide contamination stays on site. Drinking water wells cannot be used, and permanent camping and grazing are prohibited. EPA and the U.S. Forest Service conduct annual inspections covering fencing, vegetation health, and water quality. Ongoing maintenance includes groundwater monitoring, pond pH sampling, fence repairs, sign updates, and removing trees whose roots could damage the protective cap over contaminated areas. An optimization study completed in 2021 guides these continuing activities. Five-year reviews are conducted regularly, with the most recent completed in August 2025.

Community members can access site documents at two local repositories: the Lakeview Ranger District office and the Lake County Library at the County Courthouse, both in Lakeview. The Third Five-Year Review from 2020 is also available on the site's EPA webpage. Residents with questions can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager or Community Involvement Coordinator directly.