The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency anticipates issuing its final remedy plan for cleanup of radiologically contaminated material at the West Lake Landfill in a period of months, a spokesman said Friday.
The agency was responding to a query regarding language added to Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-Ill.) legislation on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository that would require the EPA within one year of the legislation’s enactment to submit a remedy and schedule for the landfill near Bridgeton, Mo.
With support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Missouri Natural Resources Department, the EPA is completing a remedial investigation addendum and final feasibility study for the landfill, a segment of a U.S. Superfund site that contains waste from former uranium production facility at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works in St. Louis. The documents would be used in developing the final remedy.
“While I can’t give you a precise timeline due to the nature of the technical review, EPA anticipates proposing a final remedy within months, not years,” agency spokesman Ben Washburn said by email, noting there is no current requirement that EPA provide the remedy decision to Congress.
The draft version of the final feasibility study lists a number of options: no action, cover and contain, as planned but not carried out under a 2008 EPA record of decision; extracting all radiologically contaminated material and disposing of it off-site; and two partial removal options.
“After EPA proposes a final remedy for the site, the agency will hold a public comment period before issuing an amendment to the 2008 Record of Decision (ROD), at which time the agency will notify congressional offices,” Washburn wrote. “After finalizing that decision, EPA will enter into negotiations with the Potentially Responsible Parties to reach an enforceable agreement to perform the selected remedy. The next steps in the Superfund process are the Remedial Design phase and the Remedial Action phase.”
