You’ve probably heard of Three Mile Island. Most people have. It’s the "big one" in the American consciousness when it comes to nuclear scares. But just a few months after that Pennsylvania incident in 1979, a much larger, much more devastating environmental disaster happened in a remote corner of the Navajo Nation. It was the Church Rock New Mexico uranium spill, and honestly, it’s kind of shocking how many history books just... skip over it.
July 16, 1979. Early morning.
While most of the country was waking up to coffee and the news, a massive earthen dam breached at the United Nuclear Corporation (UNC) uranium mill. This wasn't a small leak. We’re talking about more than 1,100 tons of solid radioactive mill waste and roughly 94 million gallons of acidic, radioactive sludge pouring into the Puerco River. To put that in perspective, it was the largest release of radioactive material in U.S. history. Yet, because it happened in a rural, predominantly Indigenous area, it didn't get the wall-to-wall cable news coverage Three Mile Island received. It basically vanished from the national headlines within days.
The Morning the Puerco River Turned Yellow
Imagine you're a shepherd. You live near Church Rock, New Mexico. Your life depends on the land and the water. On that Monday morning, the Puerco River—usually a dry arroyo or a gentle stream—was suddenly a rushing torrent of foul-smelling, yellow liquid. The water was incredibly acidic, with a pH level around 1.2. For context, that’s about the same as battery acid.
Cracks had been noticed in the dam months before. UNC knew. The state of New Mexico knew. But repairs were delayed. When the dam finally gave way, a 20-foot breach allowed the tailings pond to empty its guts into the local watershed. The surge of waste traveled nearly 80 miles downstream, crossing the border into Arizona and soaking into the groundwater that thousands of people relied on for their livestock and their homes.
The immediate physical effects were gruesome. Some accounts from the time describe livestock with burned hooves after wading into the river. People who touched the water developed skin rashes and sores that wouldn't heal. Because communication was slow and many families spoke primarily Navajo (Diné), many didn't even know the water was poisoned until they had already been exposed. It was a chaotic, terrifying mess.
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Why This Wasn't Just "Another Accident"
There’s this misconception that the Church Rock New Mexico uranium spill was just a freak engineering failure. It wasn't. It was the result of a "production first" mentality that ignored repeated warnings about the dam’s stability. The United Nuclear Corporation had been warned by its own consultants that the clay liner was settlement-prone. They kept piling on the waste anyway.
What makes it worse is the disparity in the cleanup.
When Three Mile Island happened, the response was massive. In New Mexico? The state and federal response was, frankly, sluggish. Only a tiny fraction of the radioactive silt was actually removed from the riverbed. By the time the cleanup crews really got moving, much of the contaminants had already settled into the sediment or washed further downstream during the summer monsoon rains.
The NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) and the state of New Mexico basically played a game of hot potato regarding who was responsible for oversight. Meanwhile, the Navajo people were left with a river they couldn't touch and a landscape that felt like a ticking time bomb.
The Long-Term Health Toll on the Navajo Nation
Health isn't just about what happens the day of the spill. It's about what happens twenty years later. The Church Rock New Mexico uranium spill introduced a cocktail of toxins into the environment: thorium, radium, selenium, and arsenic, alongside the uranium itself.
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The Southwest is dry. Dust blows. When the Puerco River dried up after the spill, the radioactive sediment didn't stay put. It became airborne. Research by experts like Dr. Chris Shuey at the Southwest Research and Information Center has spent decades documenting the "Uranium Legacy" in the region. The stats are sobering. We're talking about elevated rates of kidney disease and certain types of cancer among the Diné people living near these sites.
Then there’s the "Navajo Birth Cohort Study." This is a significant piece of research funded by the NIH and CDC. It looked at the impact of uranium exposure on infants. The findings? Even decades after the mines closed and the spill was "cleaned up," uranium was still being found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. It’s literally in the DNA of the next generation. That's not just an environmental disaster; it’s a multi-generational health crisis.
Cleaning Up a Ghost: The Superfund Struggle
You might think that after 40+ years, the site would be pristine. Nope. The UNC Church Rock site was added to the EPA’s National Priorities List (Superfund) in 1983. It’s still there. If you visit the area today, you’ll see some fenced-off areas and warning signs, but the "cleanup" is an ongoing, exhausting legal and bureaucratic battle.
The current plan involves moving massive amounts of mine waste from the Northeast Church Rock mine to the mill site. This has caused a lot of friction. Many community members, like those in the Red Water Pond Road Community, feel like they're being asked to live in a permanent waste dump. They’ve been hosting "Commemoration Days" every July since the spill to remind the world that they are still here and they are still waiting for justice.
The Problem with "Background Radiation"
One of the trickiest parts of the Church Rock New Mexico uranium spill is that New Mexico has a lot of natural uranium. Companies often use this as a shield. They argue that it's hard to distinguish between "natural" radiation and "spill-related" radiation. But the locals know. They know where the water used to be sweet and where it now tastes like metal. They know which hills used to be safe for grazing and which ones now cause their sheep to get sick.
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Practical Realities for Travelers and Residents
If you’re traveling through the Four Corners region or Highway 40 near Gallup, you aren't in immediate danger of glowing in the dark. That’s a cartoon myth. But the reality is that the environmental damage is subtle and pervasive.
- Water Safety: If you are off-roading or camping in the Puerco River Valley, never drink from open water sources. Even if the water looks clear, the heavy metal content can be off the charts.
- Dust Exposure: On high-wind days, stay indoors or wear a mask if you're near old mining sites.
- Support Local Voices: Organizations like the Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM) are the real experts. They’ve been fighting for decades to ensure this doesn't happen again as new companies look to restart mining in the region.
The Church Rock New Mexico uranium spill isn't just a "New Mexico problem." It's a case study in how we treat rural communities and how we manage the toxic byproducts of our energy needs. Uranium from these mines fueled the Cold War and the nuclear power industry. The cost of that energy was paid for by the health of the Navajo people and the soil of the high desert.
Moving Forward: What Actually Needs to Happen
Stopping the cycle of contamination requires more than just burying the waste. It requires a fundamental shift in how the government handles "Abandoned Uranium Mines" (AUMs). There are over 500 of them on the Navajo Nation alone.
- Full Remediation: Not just capping the waste with dirt, but moving it to secure, lined facilities away from watersheds.
- Expanded Healthcare: Permanent, specialized clinics for those suffering from radiation-related illnesses in the Church Rock and Crownpoint areas.
- Water Infrastructure: Ensuring every home in the affected area has access to piped, clean water so they aren't tempted to use unregulated wells.
The Church Rock spill was a failure of engineering, a failure of regulation, and ultimately, a failure of empathy. By understanding what happened in 1979, we can better advocate for the communities still living in the shadow of the uranium mills today.
To take action or stay informed, follow the updates from the EPA Region 9 regarding the United Nuclear Corporation Superfund site and support the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE). They provide the most grounded, local perspectives on the ongoing cleanup efforts and the legal battles to hold polluters accountable. Understanding the history is the first step; supporting the survivors is the second.