-Caveat Lector- (Don't worry about humans, just bury it... :-( EPA reconsidering decision to bury radioactive soil in Denver Copyright © 1999 Nando Media Copyright © 1999 Associated Press By JUDITH KOHLER DENVER (September 21, 1999 3:54 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Back in 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency thought a creative idea for entombing contaminated soil at the old Shattuck Chemical Co. plant had literally laid the problem to rest. Now that decision may come back to haunt the agency. Instead of digging up the more than 50,000 cubic yards of radioactive dirt and hauling it away, the EPA decided to mix it with concrete and fly ash and bury it on the spot under rock and clay, creating a tomb designed to last hundreds of years. City leaders and residents of the blue-collar neighborhood surrounding the Shattuck Superfund Site contend the waste is sinking and fear that contamination may have already seeped into water supplies. They are demanding the tomb be dug up and shipped out of state. "That's supposed to last 2,000 years," neighborhood resident Irma Zimmerman said as she stood, hands on hips, surveying the unmarked chain-link fence surrounding the 10-foot mound of rocks that stretches nearly two blocks. "But if it can't make it through one or two years, I don't know what's going to happen." Neighbors say photos and videotape of the "hot rocks" - as Zimmerman calls them - show that they are sinking. The EPA's ombudsman has launched an investigation to determine if the buried waste really is settling and whether it poses a health risk to the neighborhood, which is about four miles from downtown. In its preliminary findings, an independent firm, S. Cohen & Associates of McLean, Va., found no immediate threat but said the EPA failed to address long-term effects, the extent of groundwater contamination and possible runoff into the nearby South Platte River. "The major concern here is the protection of the citizens of Denver and the people around the site, not just in the near term, but also in the long term," said Assistant EPA Administrator Tim Fields. Fields said he expects to decide by November what to do about the waste. "It's clear to me right now, at a minimum, some changes are going to have to be made," he said. >From the early 1920s to 1984, Shattuck operated a plant at the site, processing uranium, radium, molybdenum and rhenium for such things as X-ray equipment and glow-in-the-dark clocks and gauges. The soil and groundwater became contaminated. EPA and state health officials initially proposed shipping the waste out of state but decided the best plan was to bury it on the site. The decision has been criticized ever since by residents and city officials. "We're not at all confident we know what's at the site," said Celia VanDerLoop, a city environmental-health supervisor. The city of Denver has filed notice of its intent to sue. Some neighbors believe the waste was buried rather than removed because it is a working-class neighborhood, home to modest bungalows and such businesses as lumber yards and auto-repair shops. That allegation is part of the EPA investigation. Officials with the EPA and Shattuck said the decision to bury the waste on the spot came down to cost and to uncertainty about the ability of the company that was managing the only place the radioactive soil could have been shipped, a waste dump in Utah. Federal law also gave preference to on-site solutions, said Rebecca Thomas, former EPA project manager. Shattuck officials will not object to waste removal; they just do not want to pay for it, said attorney John Faught. Shattuck paid more than $26 million for the cleanup. Removing the waste would have cost $46 million. The investigation itself has been fraught with controversy. EPA employees have refused to cooperate unless the interviews are off-the record. And Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., held up Fields' appointment until the agency agreed to investigate. Allard wants EPA executives to promise to release all documents on Shattuck and to make staffers available for on-the-record interviews. "Why is it they're reluctant to share that information?" asked Allard, who hasn't taken a position on what should be done with the waste. Hugh Kaufman, the ombudsman's chief investigator on Shattuck, said: "The office has always had access to EPA personnel for on-the-record interviews. It's the first time it's been stonewalled by a regional office." EPA Regional Administrator Bill Yellowtail has said some information must remain confidential because of pending lawsuits. Last spring, EPA officials in Denver released some previously secret records, including one showing the agency's radiation-control expert believed burying the waste was the wrong choice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Wingate California Director SKYWATCH INTERNATIONAL Anomalous Images and UFO Files http://www.anomalous-images.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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