25 Nov 2025

From White Elephant to City: USACE makes strides towards physical remediation of the Shallow Land Disposal Area in Parks Township, PA

Nearly 80 residents filed into the Parks Township Fire Department Hall in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 5 to get the latest updates about the Shallow Land Disposal Area, only a few miles away from the fire hall. The doors were supposed to open at 5:30 p.m., but the first resident arrived 30 minutes early, signed in, and went straight to the poster boards to ask questions. This early arrival wasn't unusual. At other SLDA meetings, residents have arrived as much as an hour early.

6 Jun 2025

Not just an exercise: USACE has a tabletop exercise for Shallow Land Disposal Area

Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Getting involved is precisely what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo and Pittsburgh districts, and their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agency partners, did, as they spent approximately eight hours ensuring that every “i” was dotted and every “t” was crossed during a Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA) tabletop exercise (TTX) preparing for the start of physical remediation after a nearly 15-year interruption. They discussed work plans, processes, procedures, and contract lists, and used graphic, videos – but more importantly, they got involved.