Dive Brief:
- A letter released by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) states that Republic Services -- the owners of the Bridgeton landfill in Missouri -- must do a better job to prevent the underground fire burning on site from reaching the West Lake landfill where nuclear waste is buried. The fire has been smoldering underground for three years.
- The letter, dated Oct. 7, comes on the heels of two conflicting reports assessing the status of the smoldering fire.
- An expert retained by the DNR stated that the fire at Bridgeton is moving toward an adjacent nuclear waste site, while consultants hired by Republic released a report that the fire is not expanding and is moving away from the radioactive waste.
Dive Insight:
The EPA and Republic Services have managed to come to an agreement in the past. In April, Republic reached a settlement that included the construction of a mesh barrier as a precautionary measure to thwart debris from blowing around during a scheduled dig at the site. This is one of a series of measures that were put in place by the EPA; Republic must comply with the terms or the company will face $20,000 in fines per day.
The director of Missouri’s solid waste management program concurs that the fire is moving toward the nuclear waste, and that Republic should monitor temperatures and report the results.
The spokesperson for Republic said the state’s proposal is “unnecessary,” as the company is working to reduce temperatures already and that it is “unlikely” that the fire will reach the radioactive waste.
Ed Smith, on behalf of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, said “Republic Services continues to downplay the real possibility of the smoldering fire surfacing or moving closer to the radioactive wastes. There needs to be an honest conversation with the public about what happens if the north query encounters a smoldering landfill fire sooner than the EPA plants to complete an isolation barrier.”