L Bar Disposal Cell, New Mexico

A disposal cell for uranium tailings from a mill that operated on the L-Bar Ranch from 1977 to 1981. Uranium was mined at a number of mines in the region, including the Jackpile Mine, whose pit remains two miles south of the cell. The SOHIO Company demolished and reclaimed the mill site in 2000. This 100-acre disposal cell contains 700,000 cubic yards of tailings from the mill. The cell is held back by a riprap armored containment dam, and covered in soil to allow native vegetation to grow on it.