During the latter half of the 1970's the attention of the public, regulatory authorities and industry focused on the environmental impact of uranium and other mine wastes. This focus resulted in the intense evaluation of existing mine waste disposal methods and facilities and their impact on the environment. Additional regulatory control was implemented at both Federal and State levels. Research was undertaken by both State agencies and industry to develop alternative and better mine waste disposal methodology. While much of the initial focus was on uranium tailings, the results were generally found to be applicable to other ores and mine wastes.