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Uranium in Saskatchewan

Cluff Lake Mine 2007

OWNERSHIP:		AREVA Resources (100%)
OPERATOR:		AREVA Resources
DISCOVERED:		1971
OPERATION:		1980 – 2002; 22 years of successful operation; Cluff Lake received ISO 14001 environmental management certification in 2004.
CAPACITY:		The mill had a rated capacity of 5.2 million lbs. U3O8 (2,000 tonnes uranium). The mill has been demolished and the site is being returned to a natural state.
DECOMMISSIONING:		Total production since the beginning of operation in 1980 to the end of 2002 was 62.5 million lbs. U3O8. The reserves are now depleted and final decommissioning activities almost complete.
NOTES:		Cluff Lake ceased uranium production at the end of 2002 after 22 years of operation. Active decommissioning work began in 2004 and is now completed. Decommissioning included backfilling the Claude pit, demolishing the mill and covering the area with soil, covering the tailings management area, and resloping and covering the waste rock piles. Staff remain on site to measure the success of decommissioning. Office and residences remain operational; the roads are plowed and the airstrip is open. Approximately 800,000 trees and shrubs have been planted on the mine site since Cluff Lake was decommissioned. These trees and shrubs will ensure that the site will gradually blend back into the natural landscape from which it came.