Nuclear Leftovers in West Lake Landfill
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Nuclear Leftovers in West Lake Landfill

Date: September 17, 2008
By: Christine Slusser
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: A lead environmental group attacks the Environmental Protection Agency's plans to cover a nuclear waste site.

Christine Slusser has more from Jefferson City.

RunTime:0:45
OutCue: SOC

The West Lake Landfill in St. Louis county has long-lasting radioactive wastes.

The Executive Director of Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Kat Logan Smith, says the landfill poses a serious threat.

She charged the Environmental Protection Agency with not doing a good job cleaning it up.

 

Actuality:  KAT2.WAV
Run Time: 00:11
Description: 

The EPA says the public health threat is not as big as critics would like people to believe.

The EPA plans to cover the landfill with natural elements.

They say it is a conventional approach to closing a landfill they have been studying for years.

From the capitol, I'm Christine Slusser.


Intro: While the Environmental Protection Agency says a nuclear landfill is not a threat, a lead environmental organization disagrees.

Christine Slusser has more from the capitol.

RunTime:0:45
OutCue: SOC

The Environmental Protection Agency has plans to cover the West Lake landfill by putting a modern cap over it made of clay and vegetative layers.

The Executive Director from the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Kat Logan Smith, says the cap is not a good idea.

She says it will cause long-term problems that need to be taken care of immediately.

 

Actuality:  KAT3.WAV
Run Time: 00:10
Description: 

Smith also says the likelihood the water will reach the Missouri River is 100 percent.

The EPA held several public meetings before making a decision.

They say this is the best way to handle the West Lake landfill.

From the capitol, I'm Christine Slusser.