Public weighs in on West Lake proposal, overwhelmingly wants more thorough cleanup
BRIDGETON • Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a long-awaited proposal to partially remove the radioactive contamination at the West Lake Landfill Superfund site here, while placing a protective cap over material left behind.
At the time, many in the community regarded the move as a welcome sign of progress after decades of inaction toward remediating the site, and some even expressed tepid support for the proposal to remove about 67 percent of the site’s radioactivity by excavating to a depth of 16 feet.
But at a packed and emotionally charged meeting in Bridgeton on Tuesday night, scores of speakers provided vocal, and largely critical, feedback to high-ranking EPA officials in attendance, overwhelmingly pushing for full removal of the site’s World War II-era nuclear waste.
That more extensive cleanup option, identified as “Alternative 7” among the eight strategies under consideration by the EPA, is also the most expensive on the table, with an estimated cost of $455 million, compared to $236 million for the current proposal. The costs will be covered by a handful of public and private entities deemed liable for the cleanup.
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