Cleanup at nuclear waste site halted
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Armstrong County residents, concerned about the removal of hazardous materials from a local nuclear waste dump, breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday night after officials reassured them that they are monitoring the work with "zero tolerance" for variations from safety protocols.
The removal of tons of radioactive soil and materials from a site in rural Parks Township was halted Sept. 30 because of "a deviation" from the site plan established by the contractor and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Officials said the incident posed no threat to the public or the 80-some workers at the site.
More than 50 residents gathered at the Parks Township Volunteer Fire Department Hall at the invitation of Col. Butch Graham, commander for the corps' Pittsburgh District, for an explanation of the stoppage and to ask questions regarding what is next.
The 44-acre site, known as the Shallow Land Disposal Area, is along River Road between Leechburg and Apollo, more than 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The materials buried in trenches there came from two plants that supplied nuclear fuel under U.S. contracts for nuclear submarines and power plants in the post-World War II era, when regulations on waste disposal were lax.
The plants closed in the mid-1980s, and residents and officials battled for years over a clean-up plan that was put into place this year. Cabrera Services, a Connecticut-based contractor, began the eight-year, $180 million excavation in August.
Col. Graham said work was stopped after a worker responsible for checking contamination levels left his post for an hour to check on an equipment malfunction.
While he was gone, pieces of 10 barrels that had contained hazardous materials were taken to a processing area without being checked.
First Published October 19, 2011 12:00 am
