nuclear-news

‘It stops with us’: After fighting more than a decade, advocates obtain maps of radioactive waste at West Lake Landfill

The 200-acre West Lake Landfill holds radioactive waste from the WWII-era atomic bomb.

 Justina Coronel (KSDK), August 30, 2024,  https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/special-reports/radioactive/advocates-obtain-maps-of-radioactive-waste-at-west-lake-landfill/63-0c980d29-714d-4190-97ea-25a8ece2c119

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis County community has more answers about its Superfund Site in Bridgeton. 

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency had its open house on West Lake Landfill. 

EPA shared these maps below, along with a slideshow of next steps.

The 200-acre West Lake Landfill holds radioactive waste from the WWII-era atomic bomb and the EPA is required to clean it up.

In 2010, a fire broke out underground in another area of the landfill and is still burning today.

The health concerns are connected to the nuclear material.

Friday afternoon, the advocacy group Just Moms STL looked at these maps. 

For them, it’s a roadmap for remediation.

Co-founder Karen Nickel said, “This is the first time we’ve seen these maps.”

The two said it took 11 years to obtain them.

“It shows exactly where they are going to do the cleanup and we haven’t seen that before,” Nickel added. 

Co-founder Dawn Chapman learned from the meeting, more waste was found, which means it’ll cost $113.5 million more. This resulted in a $392 million project.

“The only place that doesn’t have radiation on this site is where the fire is burning, which is the area they’ve never tested,” Chapman added. “This is a very surgical dig, the deepest they’ll go is 28 to 29 feet. It’s not a massive hole in the ground. The way they are going to do it is in little areas and they will quickly backfill and then move on so there won’t be anything left open.”

Nickel said, surprisingly, the crowd seemed hopeful. 

“Even though it’s not a shovel in the ground, it looks real. We have visuals now,” Nickel explained.

Yet, it’s still a mix of emotions.

“That’s pretty gut-wrenching, it’s been sitting there for 30-plus years, so much more than they were aware of,” Nickel shared. 

The two believe in the power of people. They say public pressure and persistence pushed them here, all these years later.

Nickel said with tears in her eyes, “God, I’m hoping I’m going to be here to see this happen and every single day I’m so afraid of my kids getting hurt.”

What’s next on their roadmap? To make it to the finish line.

“We are those people and it stops with us,” Chapman said.

Nickel added, “I’ll take my last breath fighting this issue.”

While there was some progress, there is no timeline for remediation.

A spokesperson for the EPA told 5 On Your Side its remedial design is approaching completion. 

It’s currently reviewing its 90% Remedial Design, submitted by the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs), while negotiations for an enforceable order are ongoing. 

The spokesperson said the order is necessary for remedial action to begin after remedial design is completed.

September 2, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized