PITTSBURGH -- WHO: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh and Buffalo districts
WHAT: Pittsburgh and Buffalo districts’ staff will present an update to the public on the project’s status, results of the annual environmental monitoring, upcoming site activities, and other topics of public interest for the Shallow Land Disposal Area site. A question-and-answer session will follow the information session.
WHERE: Parks Township Fire Department at 1119 Dalmation Drive, Vandergrift, PA 15690
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
WHY: The public information session intends to continue USACE’s efforts to ensure transparency regarding the SLDA cleanup process.
The public can submit questions before the meeting by emailing CELRP-PA@usace.army.mil or calling 412-395-7500.
Background
The SLDA site, encompassing 44 acres of privately-owned land, is approximately 23 miles east-northeast of Pittsburgh in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. It is on the right bank of the Kiskiminetas River, a tributary of the Allegheny River, near the communities of Apollo and Vandergrift. Radioactive waste disposal operations were conducted between 1960 and 1970 at the site.
Low-level radioactive materials, used primarily for nuclear-powered submarine and power-plant fuel, were produced under the Atomic Energy Commission contracts, and eventually disposed of at the SLDA site. Disposal operations were conducted by the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) firm in the early 1960s. The Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) purchased stock in NUMEC in 1967 and sold the stock to Babcock & Wilcox (BWX) Technologies in 1971. BWX Technologies is the current owner of the SLDA site.
In 1981, the Environmental Protection Agency amended disposal regulations and a 2002 law directed the site be added to the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). The program was initiated to identify, investigate, clean up, or control sites throughout the United States contaminated by the Nation’s atomic weapons and energy programs.
For more information, visit the Army Corps’ SLDA website: https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning-Programs-Project-Management/Key-Projects/Shallow-Land-Disposal-Area/. Hardcopy documents related to the study, site testing, and removal plans are available online and at the Apollo Memorial Library, 219 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Apollo, PA 15613-1397.
Contact the Pittsburgh District Public Affairs Office at CELRP-PA@usace.army.mil or (412) 395-7500 for more information.