On December 4,1984 a list of questions regarding the University’s activities at Page Ranch were shared with the public. These questions were both generated and answered by the UA’s Bob Dorsey (72); in them the history of University dumping was spelled out. 

       One question asked was: 

“How was Page Ranch chosen for a hazardous waste site?”

       Dorsey’s response was: 

“Prior to the development of regulations concerning the handling and disposal of radioactive materials, small quantities of radioactive materials were being used in experiments at the University. The faculty member coordinating these activities was Dr. Wallace Fuller, a Professor of soils, water, and engineering. When it became necessary to dispose of some of this material he investigated several sites and chose the Page Ranch site because of the ideal environmental conditions of low rainfall, high evaporation rates and depth to ground water. It continued to be used occasionally for this purpose until 1962 when the use of that site for radioactive material was formalized as part of the University’s radioactive material license.” (72) 

       There are no records to document how, where, when or what was dumped prior to 1962, but the University’s contention was that any radioactive materials dumping that took place was minimal. 

       It is thus interesting to note a letter found in the files at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and in the 1983 Hargis & Montgomery Hydrogeology report, Appendix H. The letter is from Martha Anderson, then Assistant Director of the UA