West Lake Landfill

West Lake Landfill
Superfund site
The West Lake Landfill in July, 2014
Geography
City Bridgeton
County St. Louis County
State Missouri
Information
CERCLIS ID MOD079900932
Progress
Proposed 10/28/1989
Listed 08/30/1990
Superfund sites

West Lake Landfill is an unlined mixed-waste landfill located in Bridgeton, Missouri, near St. Louis and the Mississippi River, whose contents have been shown to include radioactive waste; it is thus also an EPA Superfund cleanup site.[1][2][3] In 1973, after having changed hands (and responsible oversight) several times, a portion of original stored radioactive material at a nearby storage facility—the material with lowest relative radioactivity, a leached barium sulfate residue originating from the Manhattan Project—was combined with topsoil to dilute the contaminated material. It was then illegally dumped at the West Lake site. Due to the discovery of the radioactive and other contaminants at the site, West Lake was proposed as a Superfund site in October 1989, and after undergoing an extensive feasibility study, it was officially listed as such a site in August 1990.

Aerial Outline of West Lake Landfill

The landfill is divided into multiple sectors, within which are two operable units (OU), OU-1 and OU-2. OU-1 contains radioactive material; OU-2 has been shown to as well. In addition to the radioactivity from the dumped barium sulfate cake, soil samples also indicate the presence of many more radioactive materials, including uranium, thorium, and elements resulting from their decay. OU-1 covers 940 cubic yards (720 m3) on the surface (based on soil depth of 6 inches or 150 millimetres) and 24,000 cubic yards (18,000 m3) subsurface, while OU-2 covers 8,700 cubic yards (6,700 m3) on the surface and 109,000 cubic yards (83,000 m3) subsurface.

Recently, the West Lake landfill has drawn further scrutiny because of a nearby subsurface smoldering fire (in OU-2), and event located only 1,000 feet (300 m) away from OU-1. If the fire were to reach the OU-1 area of radioactive waste, radiation could be released into the air.

History

The West Lake Landfill site originated in 1939 as a limestone quarry operated by the Westlake Quarry Company.[3][4] Landfilling at the site began in the 1950s.[5] In 1973, B&K Construction Co., a company contracted by Cotter Corporation, dumped 8,700 short tons (7,900 t) of leached barium sulfate and 39,000 short tons (35,000 t) of soil at the landfill.[1][4] [6] The leached barium sulfate was a byproduct of Mallinckrodt Chemical Works’ uranium enrichment program as a part of the Manhattan Project and later nuclear weapon production.[2]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission discovered the disposal and investigated the site, publishing a report in 1977.[7]

West Lake was proposed to be a Superfund site on October 28, 1989, and the EPA placed the landfill on the National Priorities List, designating it as a Superfund site on August 30, 1990. The EPA has listed four potentially responsible parties: the US Department of Energy; the Cotter Corporation; and Republic Services subsidiaries Bridgeton Landfill and Rock Road Industries.[1] EPA directed those parties to undertake investigations and evaluations consistent with CERCLA (Superfund) guidance.[2]

After decades of investigation, including multiple studies, public meetings, and public comment periods, the EPA selected a final site cleanup plan.[4] In 2008, the EPA announced that they would contain the contaminated sites by placing a multilayered cover over 40 acres (16 ha) of OU-1.[4] [8] The EPA plan also required institutional controls and monitoring of the site.[4] After receiving additional comments from environmental groups and the general public, the EPA asked the potentially responsible parties to commission a study of alternative cleanup options.[1][6][8] The resulting supplemental feasibility study was released in 2011.[8]

In 2012, following consultation with the EPA National Remedy Review Board, the EPA asked the potentially responsible parties to gather more data and perform additional evaluations.[6] After conducting an aerial survey of the site and surrounding areas in 2013, the EPA reported that the radioactive waste remained contained within OU-1 and posed no safety risk to outlying areas.[9]

Current management

As of this date, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently holds control over the West Lake Landfill. The EPA has commissioned multiple studies and reports detailing the history, status and proposed remedies of OU-1.[10][11]

In April 2000, the EPA released a report, "Remedial Investigation Report West Lake Landfill Operable Unit 1," which detailed the history and condition of the site.[12] The EPA released a feasibility study on OU-1 in May 2006, which evaluated possible remedial options for OU-1.[13] The study contains a chapter detailing the site’s condition as of 2006.

After these and other thorough investigations, the EPA signed a Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1. In May 2008, the EPA released its record of decision, which outlined the designated course of action for remediation, including designation of a capping system designed to contain hazardous areas, and plans for long-term monitoring of ground water. In particular, it detailed the EPA’s proposed remedy of a multilayer landfill cover over the affected areas of OU-1.[4] The EPA commissioned a supplemental feasibility study,[14] which followed internal agency deliberations and consideration of comments provided by interested community members.[6][8][15][16]

Situation, 2010-2015

Studies

The EPA continued to receive feedback regarding the Record of Decision (ROD), and in response required that potentially responsible parties conduct a Supplemental Feasibility Study (SFS) for OU-1. The full SFS was released to the public in December 2011,[14] and raised questions of the feasibility of the previously proposed plan.

Further sampling and testing has been conducted throughout 2012 and 2013, including gamma scans of the surface of OU-1 to reveal the distribution of radiation. Edits to the ROD are ongoing, and alternatives to the partial excavation plan are being reconsidered.

The current milestones and timeline from the FDA includes:[17]

Smoldering fire

Surface fire at the West Lake Landfill, February 2014

On December 23, 2010, those overseeing the adjoining OU-2 landfill area, the Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill "reported... experiencing elevated temperatures on some gas extraction wells."[18][19] As the MDNR notes in a timeline for that facility, it "began testing landfill gas from the gas extraction system and found elevated hydrogen and carbon monoxide and reduced methane concentrations, which is indicative of a subsurface smoldering event (SSE)"; the timeline descriptions go on to explain that SSEs are a form of combustion that occur deep within a landfill and produces no visible flame or quantity of smoke, only producing these "when the subsurface event or fire is excavated and exposed to the atmosphere."[18] The smoldering fire is located 1,000 feet (300 m) away from OU-1, raising fear about possible consequences that the county of St. Louis might face if the fire reaches toxic material in OU-1. On February 16, 2014, greater concern was raised from the public, when a surface fire occurred—unrelated to the subsurface smoldering fire, which had been ongoing for ~3½ years—and began emitting heavy black smoke and a thick stench. The cause of the surface fire was a broken pipe, which allowed oxygen to seep beneath the cap, leading to combustion of part of the plastic cover.

As Véronique Lacapra of St. Louis Public Radio reported in July 2014, a consultant for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Todd Thalhamer, raised concern "that the underground fire at the Bridgeton Landfill could break through to the surface."[20] She cites a detailed, data-rich memo from Thalhamer to the MDNR and notes:

[S]ome of the highest underground temperatures so far had been recorded at the landfill in May and early June [2014, raising particular concern]… about measurements at one temperature monitor, where readings above 200 °F (93 °C) were recorded just [9 feet (2.7 m)] below the landfill’s surface. That monitor, TMP-13, is located in the narrow neck of the landfill, between the north and south quarries.[20]

As the smoldering fire reaches depths of more than 150 feet (46 m), high temperatures in such shallow areas are cause for concern. However, excavating and attempting to put an end to the fire, which spans an area of at least 15 football fields (16 acres or 6.5 hectares), would be near to impossible.[21] The excavation would increase the probability of the fire breaking through the surface, due to an increased flow of oxygen.[21]

Isolation barrier

Since the discovery of the smoldering fire, Republic Services ordered an isolation barrier be built (September 2013), which will prevent smoldering sanitary waste from reaching the radioactive waste stored in OU-1. The EPA will oversee the construction of the barrier in the South Quarry section of the landfill. Further, landfill owners plan to install a cap over the North Quarry, create trenches to capture liquid and gas underneath the cap, in addition to improving techniques used to monitor gas.

Associated risks

Leaving radioactive waste at the West Lake Landfill poses environmental health risks, in part because the surrounding area is susceptible to natural disaster. In the case of earthquake, the landfill would be prone to landslides and liquefaction, which would increase the chance of groundwater contamination or radioactive materials directly seeping into the Missouri River. [22] Additionally, the smoldering fire approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) from OU-1 poses a threat to people in the area through contaminated smoke, and through increased leachate production. A test conducted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources reported harmful compounds in air samples taken downwind of the landfill, suggesting emissions from the fire have already begun. [22] Finally, the West Lake Landfill is located within the Missouri River flood plain, and as an unlined landfill, there is also nothing to prevent radionuclides from entering the water table, and so of radioactive contamination of groundwater. [22]

Future management

There has been a recent movement for control to be shifted to the "Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program" (FUSRAP), administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. FUSRAP was established in 1974 to clean up radioactive wastes resulting from early nuclear activity of the US Atomic Energy Commission.[23] FUSRAP uses independent government scientists to conduct site studies and evaluations. After thorough evaluations are conducted, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) determines how to manage the radioactive waste.[23] Fiscally responsible parties are not able to legally challenge this decision.[23] FUSRAP currently controls two on-going remediation projects within the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, the St. Louis Airport Site (SLAPS) and the Hazelwood Interim Storage Site (HISS), both of which contain the same composition of radioactive waste as the West Lake Landfill.[24][25]

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Tomich, Jefffrey (2013). "EPA says West Lake Radiation is 'Contained'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (May 29). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Hsieh, Steven (2013). "St. Louis Is Burning". Rolling Stone (May 10). Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Zigman, Leisa (2013). "Secrets Buried Beneath Westlake Landfill". KSDK.com (online, June 14). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 US EPA Region 7 (2008). Record of Decision West Lake Landfill Site Bridgeton, Missouri, Operable Unit 1 (125 pp.) (PDF). Kansas City, KS, USA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "West Lake Landfill" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Tomich, Jefffrey (2013). "EPA Continues Testing at West Lake Landfill; Critics Unmoved". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (January 18). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "NPL Site Narrative for Westlake Landfill". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Tomich, Jefffrey (2012). "EPA Weighs Cleanup of Nuclear Waste at Bridgeton Landfill". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 14). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Anon. (2013). "EPA: Radiation at West Lake Landfill Poses No Health Threat". KMOX, CBS St. Louis (May 29). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "West Lake Landfill | Region 7 | US EPA". Epa.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  11. ↑ "Downloadable Records". West Lake Landfill. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  12. ↑ EMS (2000). Remedial Investigation Report: West Lake Landfill Operable Unit-1, Prepared for West Lake Landfill OU-1 Respondents Group, 10 April 2000 (631 pp.). Lakewood, CO, USA: Engineering Management Support, Inc. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  13. ↑ EMS (2006). Feasibility Study: West Lake Landfill Operable Unit-1, Prepared for West Lake Landfill OU-1 Respondents Group, 8 May 2006 (472 pp.) (PDF). Lakewood, CO, USA: Engineering Management Support, Inc. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  14. 1 2 EMS (2011). Supplemental Feasibility Study: Radiological-Impacted Material Excavation Alternatives Analysis West Lake Landfill Operable Unit-1, Prepared for US EPA Region VII, on behalf of The West Lake Landfill OU-1 Respondents, 28 December 2011 (1356 pp.) (PDF). Lakewood, CO, USA: Engineering Management Support, Inc. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  15. ↑ Holland, Elizabeth (2008). "EPA Decides to Build Cover for Radioactive Waste Site". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (May 30): C1,C7. Retrieved 27 October 2015. Subtitle: Plan for West Lake Landfill is touted as best option, but it draws fire from activist.
  16. ↑ "Home, About and Latest Updates". West Lake Landfill. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 EPA Region 7 Midwest (2015). "West Lake Update: The Path Ahead," June 15, 2015, see , accessed 27 October 2015.
  18. 1 2 MDNR (2014). Subsurface Smoldering Event - Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill (PDF). MDNR Facility Information: Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill Facility Information (15 March) (Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri Department of Natural Resources). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  19. ↑ MDNR (2013). West Lake Landfill. MDNR Hazardous Waste Program, Federal Facilities Section (Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri Department of Natural Resources). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  20. 1 2 Lacapra, Véronique (2014). "State Concerned About Potential For Surface Fire At Bridgeton Landfill". St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU, 3 July) (St. Louis, MO, USA: St. Louis Public Radio). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  21. 1 2 Lacapra, Véronique (2015). "Confused About the Bridgeton and West Lake Landfill? Here's What You Should Know". St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU, 20 October) (St. Louis, MO, USA: St. Louis Public Radio). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 This information purports to derive from a document entitled "Risks of Leaving Radioactive Waste at West Lake Landfill," derived from the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (www.moenvironment.org), and dated June 19, 2014; however, the earlier appearing citation was incomplete, and could not be traced. Furthermore, no evidence for the existence of such a report with this specific title and date could be found, and so this appearing article information is currently not verifiable.
  23. 1 2 3 "Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program". USACE. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "St. Louis Airport Site (SLAPS)". US Army Corps of Engineers FUSRAP. USACE. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Hazelwood Interim Storage Site (HISS): Futura, Latty Ave Vicinity Properties". US Army Corps of Engineers FUSRAP. USACE. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  26. ↑ "West Lake Update The Path Ahead – June 15 – 2015". Scribd.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  27. ↑ "West Lake Update – July 6 – 2015". Scribd.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.

Radioactive Material in the West Lake Landfil - NUREG--1308-Rev. 1, T188 012946, Pages 1 - 3 Coordinates: 38°45′57.59″N 90°26′38.42″W / 38.7659972°N 90.4440056°W / 38.7659972; -90.4440056

External links

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