PITTSBURGH -- WHO: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo and Pittsburgh districts
WHAT: USACE is conducting a full-scale emergency exercise at the Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA) site. During the exercise, the public will likely see increased security measures, emergency vehicles, and personnel, and probably hear emergency vehicle sirens. The increased activity is part of the drill and not an actual emergency.
WHEN: Oct. 15, 2025, from 1 to 4 p.m.
WHERE: The SLDA site in Parks Township, Pennsylvania
WHY: The exercise will assess the USACE staff, its contractor, and local emergency responders’ readiness and ability to respond to various potential emergencies. The exercise’s objectives include validating the contractor’s Emergency Action Plan for procedures to manage and resolve fire and medical emergencies and demonstrate understanding of common protocols with first responders.
USACE is conducting the exercise to prepare for the upcoming remediation of the site. USACE will host a public information session in November to ensure the public fully understands the site activity and the future project schedule.
Save the Date: The next public information session is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the Parks Township Fire Department at 1119 Dalmation Drive, Vandergrift, PA 15690. Everyone is invited to attend. Contact the Pittsburgh District Public Affairs Office at CELRP-PA@usace.army.mil or (412) 395-7500 for more information.
Background
The 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In 1981, disposal regulations were rescinded, and a 2002 law directed the site be added to the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program or FUSRAP.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.
For more information, visit the Army Corps’ SLDA website: https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects/Article/3646985/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.
For additional information, please contact the Public Affairs Office at (412) 395-7500 or e-mail CELRP-PA@usace.army.mil.