Many people - from politicians in Washington to activists in Moab - pressed the federal government for years to move a massive pile of uranium waste from the banks of the Colorado River. Many thank the dogged work of a Utah Division of Radiation Control manager for finally succeeding. For that work, Loren Morton became the first person in his agency to be honored with the prestigious Governor's Science and Technology Medal. "It's been a pleasure to work on the Moab tailings project and be involved in the Department of Environmental Quality's efforts to protect the Colorado River," said the soft-spoken Morton, who described it as team effort with federal employees, researchers and Moab residents. "Together, we have had the privilege of protecting the environment for future generations." For a long time, the U.S. Energy Department seemed to favor a much cheaper plan, cleaning up chemical contamination that was leaching into the river and stabilizing the 18-million-ton pile where it is. But Morton, a hydrogeologist, helped convince the Energy Department that that probably would not be enough to protect the pile from the next large-scale flood. The Energy Department's decision became final in September. The Colorado provides drinking water for 25 million people downstream. And, near the tailings pile, it is home to several species of endangered fish. Bill Sinclair, deputy director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, nominated Morton for the award, presented Nov. 3. He said Morton, a section manager for the radiation division, had been applauded by the U.S. Interior Department, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Grand County Council, as well as Moab residents. In his 21 years with the state, Morton worked in the Water Quality Division before going to the Radiation Control Division, where he monitors low-level radioactive waste facilities like Envirocare of Utah and uranium mills. Prior to the Department of Environmental Quality, he was an engineering geologist for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Utah. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in geology. - Judy Fahys