The first conference in the series was on Uranium Mill Tailings Management and was held in 1978. It was organized by the Geotechnical Engineering Program of the Civil Engineering Department of Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. The organizing committee consisted of John Nelson, Thomas Shepherd, Steven Abt, Wayne Charlie, and John Welsh. The series of conferences on uranium mill tailings continued through 1985. The nine volumes of proceedings were published totaling some 3,700 pages. By 1984, the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project was well underway. The development of new uranium mines had declined and interest in uranium tailings was no longer wide-spread. Thus in 1984 and 1985, the conference title was expanded to Management of Uranium Mill Tailings, Lowlevel Waste and Hazardous Waste.