Dive Brief:
- In Missouri, the Army Corps of Engineers will help to construct an isolation barrier between a fire burning underground at the Bridgeton landfill and radioactive material buried at the nearby West Lake landfill.
- Construction of the barrier is expected to get underway within 90 days, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's region seven administrator.
- This remedy comes after Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster last week urged the EPA to move quickly to build a barrier. One year ago, Koster sued Republic Services, the Bridgeton landfill owners, alleging violations of environmental laws.
Dive Insight:
Republic Services had voluntarily taken measures to ensure the fire did not reach the nuclear waste at West Lake, but the Attorney General said that the company's efforts "do not address the entire problem" due to more nuclear waste found buried closer to the area where the fire is burning.
Environmental groups, organizations and residents have wanted the site cleanup to be taken over by the Army Corps of Engineers. Some areas of West Lake landfill have already been placed under the authority of the Corps.
