Cleanup of Parks Township nuclear waste dump to begin in 2025, last 7 years

The Army Corps of Engineers is preparing the nuclear waste dump in Parks Township for remediation, which is slated to begin in spring 2025 and last about seven years.

The Corps on Wednesday provided an update to a crowd of more than 60 people on the work they’ve done, and their plans for the future, at the nuclear waste dump, which the feds call the Shallow Land Disposal Area.

Between 1960 and 1970, Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corp. dumped and buried radioactive waste on the 44-acre site along Route 66.

Work at the site over the past month has picked up significantly, project manager Steven Vriesen said. He said crews are working on the remediation design. Contractors have been conducting background radiological and geophysical surveys to better understand the site’s conditions and confirm where the waste is and what remediation crews may encounter.

Vriesen said the Corps has made some security improvements on-site and is building an administrative area.

He said people will see crews grading, digging and moving equipment around, but that does not mean the remediation has started.

“That’s all related to preparing the site for remediation,” Vriesen said.

The Corps soon will install new site infrastructure, complete the remedial design and hold a test exercise with local first responders before beginning remediation in 2025.

Vriesen shared an interactive map. It showed three trenches that crews started remediation on in 2011 and were about halfway complete when work paused.

He cited an engineering analysis that found it wouldn’t be beneficial to build a structure over those trenches, based on logistics and expenses.

However, many residents who spoke Wednesday asked the Corps to reconsider that plan and make sure the three trenches are covered before remediation is complete. Vriesen said after the meeting he would take those comments into consideration and research the plan further.

Others asked about mitigation and escape routes should an emergency occur. Officials said they are working closely with local first responders to best prepare and prioritize safety.

Cleanup follows the remediation process in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, officials said.

Vriesen said recent groundwater monitoring results are consistent with results from previous years. They show radionuclide concentrations below drinking water standards, and no migration of contaminants off the site.

Air monitoring results show no release of contaminants from the site above levels allowed by authorities, Vriesen said.

Col. Nicholas Melin of the Corps’ Pittsburgh district said the local district will work in partnership with the Buffalo, N.Y., district to manage the project. The Pittsburgh district is responsible for communications and community outreach while the Buffalo district will execute the remediation project.

“Your Pittsburgh district in the Corps of Engineers is engaged, working with the Buffalo district to deliver the best quality remediation in your community that we can,” he said.

The Buffalo district is “deeply experienced” with undertaking such projects, Melin said.

“We are the experts when it comes to environmental remediation,” said Lt. Col. Colby Krug of the Corps’ Buffalo district.

Melin and Carol Vernon, the corps’ public affairs officer, stressed crews would prioritize safety and security, transparency and community involvement throughout the process, which is estimated to take about seven years.

Vernon said information will be available at the site and on the Army Corps of Engineers website.