Radioactive Contamination At West Lake Landfill Is More Widespread

Just a friendly heads up if you are around this area (St. Louis) and are unaware of the possible nuclear waste contamination present. Appears the EPA never kept their promise to clean it up and it is expanding in scale.

I would be a bit hesitant to drink the water. That is for sure.

Federal environmental officials said the contamination at the site covers more ground than they knew before. And there is material outside the boundaries of the landfill

www.emissourian.com/news/epa-radioactive-contamination-at-west-lake-landfill-is-more-widespread/article_a6ca2994-ef3d-11ed-9200-4bfb5f24922a.html

Radioactive waste has migrated outside the boundaries of the West Lake landfill and contaminated soil and water on the edge of the St. Louis County site, federal environmental officials said Monday night.

And the contaminated area onsite is far larger than previously thought.

Yet still, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency couldn’t assure the community when the site — contaminated 50 years ago — would be cleaned up.

“I don’t know that they’ve botched another site the way they are this one,” said Dawn Chapman, co-founder of Just Moms STL, an organization that sprung up out of activism by local parents around the West Lake landfill.

Chapman said the agency has made progress. She said EPA officials at Monday night’s meeting, which drew about 70 residents to a union hall in Bridgeton, were the most upfront she had seen. But she said there was no reason for the waste to sit as long as it has.

The EPA is charged with managing the cleanup of the West Lake landfill, which has held nuclear waste from the development of the atomic bomb for half a century.

a reply to: infolurker


What is wrong with the EPA, 50 years to clean this mess and nothing happen, is this a problem with funds of the funds or the funds allocated were use to something else.

Or better yet it was not funds at all, I do not get it, what is a priority for the EPA.

originally posted by: marg6043
a reply to: infolurker


What is wrong with the EPA, 50 years to clean this mess and nothing happen, is this a problem with funds of the funds or the funds allocated were use to something else.

Or better yet it was not funds at all, I do not get it, what is a priority for the EPA.

This is in my wheelhouse Marg!


The EPA doesn't clean anything. I work beside them on some projects and don't want to make them out to be all bad because they are not all bad. Many of the leadership have lied to us however, just as you are saying here. Only they are just movers and shakers not doers.

They fine people big bucks and then use the threat of bigger fines for the company who caused the issue. No one, even the US Army gets away with anything. These situations are more about finding someone to pay for the cleanup. But the EPA just looks at data, takes samples and makes decrees. They are close to useless in that sense. The ones that help the most are the ones who have grants for people to improve a bad pollution issue.

This situation here is sad, and it needs more attention as you are right to point to the issue.

originally posted by: marg6043
a reply to: infolurker


What is wrong with the EPA, 50 years to clean this mess and nothing happen, is this a problem with funds of the funds or the funds allocated were use to something else.

Or better yet it was not funds at all, I do not get it, what is a priority for the EPA.

The priority of the EPA is to continue to draw a budget from the federal government. Actually fixing environmental problems like this would dry up their revenue stream and cause mass layoffs. Therefore it's beneficial for the EPA to have as many environmental problems as possible to bring to congress when the time comes.

Just like it's beneficial for the FBI to have as many domestic threats as possible...