The Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA) site, encompassing 44 acres of privately-owned land, is located approximately 23 miles east-northeast of Pittsburgh in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. It is on the right bank of the Kiski 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.

As part of work done under Atomic Energy Commission contracts, low-level radioactive materials were produced, primarily for fuel for nuclear-powered submarines and power plants. Disposal operations were conducted by the firm NUMEC, Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation, in the early 1960s. In 1967, ARCO purchased stock in NUMEC. In 1971, ARCO sold the stock of NUMEC to Babcock & Wilcox which has changed to BWX Technologies. BWX Technologies is the current owner of the SLDA site.

In 1981, disposal regulations were rescinded, and a 2002 law directed the site be added to the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program or FUSRAP. The FUSRAP program was initiated to identify, investigate, and clean up or control sites throughout the United States contaminated because of the nation’s atomic weapons and energy programs.

In January 2002, Section 8143 of Public Law 107-117 directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cleanup radioactive waste at the Parks Township Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA) site under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). The cleanup will follow the remediation process outlined in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and is consistent with the requirements of the July 5, 2001 Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for coordination of cleanup and decommissioning of FUSRAP sites with NRC-licensed facilities. Click here to read more.

The Army Corps is currently maintaining the site, conducting regular environmental monitoring, and providing security. Material exhumed in 2011 that exceeded site specific cleanup goals was packaged, transported, and disposed of outside of Pennsylvania in 2012. 

In April 2017, the Army Corps awarded a $350-million remediation services contract to Amentum, formerly Jacobs Technology Inc from Tullahoma, TN, for the clean-up of radioactive waste at the Shallow Land Disposal Area. Unsuccessful bidders subsequently challenged the agency's contract award and filed protests with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO dismissed the protests in August 2017 after the Army Corps agreed to reevaluate the proposals. In September 2018, the Army Corps confirmed their original selection, and a Notice-to-Proceed was issued to Amentum in February 2019. Remediation design plans and procedures are currently being developed in anticipation of starting site infrastructure improvements in Fiscal Year 2023. 

In August 2023, the corps increased operational activity to prepare the site for upcoming remediation activities. Residents near the site will see an increase in vehicle traffic, site workers, equipment, signage, and maintenance activities that will continue for the next 12-18 months. 

USACE began remediation in April 2026. 

The Shallow Land Disposal Area site Administrative Record is a compilation of records of various lengths. A copy of the record can be viewed at the Apollo Memorial Library (219 N. Pennsylvania Ave, Apollo, PA 15613). An electronic copy can be obtained, by request, at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District Public Affairs office by calling (412) 395-7500.