Health Department says uranium spill contained

The Cotter Corporation is working to clean up a spill of contaminated water at its now-closed uranium mill near Canon City. Radioactive Symbol

The company reported the spill to the state health department this past Tuesday.

As much as nine thousand gallons of tainted water leaked from a broken pipe.

Health Department spokesman Warren Smith says there’s no threat to the public.

He says the water went into an area designed to catch spills like this.

"This is actually the spill containment system that keeps contaminated water contained on Cotter property and out of the neighborhood," Smith said. "And no contaminated water did leave the property."

Cotter says it will let the soil dry, then fix the pipe.

Operations at the mill ended in 2006.

The site is in the process of being decommissioned.

Most of the buildings there have already been torn down.