St Loius Landfill Fire Moving Towards West Lake Nuclear Waste Site

I have done searches for this topic and I cannot find any relevant results - except for a mention on page 19 on this thread by JonnyMnemonic If this is in the wrong place, please move.

The landfill fire at Bridgeton Missouri apperas to be very stinky and steam is reported to be rising in a 'neck' area between the landfill site and the West Lake nuclear waste site.

The core of the problem appears to be that the landfill fire is burning underground and is similar to a compost heap fire - once it gets going, it is almost impossible to stop the smouldering. The rubbish and other stuff buried down there gives rise to toxic and smelly fumes and the methane which all landfill sites generate does not help the safety aspect either.

Once the burning gets to the nuclear waste site(and it will do), I reckon there is going to be a release of nuclear isotopes into the wind. This is a story which needs to be watched very closely - particularly if you live nearby, not only for the folk in Missouri but for everyone. We are going to have our very own Fukushima and it wont be because of a core meltdown either.

There is plenty on Google about this as it has been 'smouldering on' for ages. Search for Bridgeton landfill fire West Lake nuclear waste and you should get loads.

It seems that, like the Louisana sinkhole at bayou Corne, there is lots of talk about doing something to mitigate the smells or building barriers to stop the fire getting to the nuclear waste site, but I feel that it is impractical and a load of hot air. Authorities making soothing noises and hoping it will all go away. Anyway, see what you think.

Recent link here from the Seattle Pi
Koster: Landfill smoldering being watched closely

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Underground smoldering at a suburban St. Louis landfill is being watched closely amid concerns about its proximity to buried nuclear waste, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said Tuesday.

Koster was in St. Louis to announce an agreement with Republic Services, operators of the Bridgeton Landfill. For several months, a strong odor has been emitting from the landfill that sits on 52 acres near Lambert Airport, a noxious smell that has raised health concerns in addition to its unpleasantness

Koster said two worst-case scenarios are being guarded against closely: The fire that burns underground emerging above ground; and the subsurface fire making its way to the nuclear waste, originally stored decades ago at West Lake after work performed by Mallinckrodt Chemical Co.'s uranium procession operations.

reply to post by qmantoo


I never heard of this fire in MO. before now, but I remember when I was a kid we had the same type of underground fire at our landfill and it burned on for years. Our fire was from tires buried years ago and to tell the truth, I don't know that it's not still burning today.

On the other hand, this fire seems to have the potential to become something much worse than just another underground fire. We can only hope that someone comes up with a solution that's Not a load of "hot air."

Thanks for posting. F&S for the OP.

there's a fine line between trash and "nuclear waste".Things like clothing,medical garbage,anything that reads higher than normal background levels are "contaminated",so they just bury it.Not like used fuel rods or such.

reply to post by qmantoo


I live on the extreme south side of the city in IL and have heard this discussed on NPR and other news outlets. It is and could be a dire situation for residents on both sides of the river but it is downplayed by the media here to a great extent (surprise surprise). Their take is "we have it under control and no one should worry" as usual. More corrupt govt officials and another Times Beach waiting to happen? Times Beach had no fire but plenty of corrupt officials and business owners involved and is still uninhabitable. We shall see. Hope the link comes through it my first posting links. If not google it. en.wikipedia.org...

I LIVE in St. Louis and I have never heard of this before.
I have been by that area many times and have never noticed and particular smell.
You have given me much homework.

I also live in St. Louis. And all Ive heard about this is the media talking about the smell from the landfil and the waste company trying to solve it. I have not heard one mention of the underground fire or the nuclear waste.

This really needs some attn.

The smell is just from the sulfides from the rotting garbage. IF this is moving so slow why don't they just dig a fire line around the dump and then no one has to worry the nuclear waste will get ignited?

Flagging so this gets more attention.

Back in my town a few years ago, there was a huge tire fire that spread smoke everywhere and it took like 10 fire departments to put it out.

My question now is when and if the fire makes it to the waste site, how are the isotopes going to spread and how far?

This is certainly something to watch and I don't have much faith that the "officials" will come up with any genius solutions before it's too late. I'd start packing if I lived within 100 miles of the place and even then...
Certainly any rivers and streams will be contaminated. I truly wish Nibiru was real. Earth desperately needs a reset button to heal itself of all the damage humans have done.

Originally posted by blkcwbyhat
there's a fine line between trash and "nuclear waste".Things like clothing,medical garbage,anything that reads higher than normal background levels are "contaminated",so they just bury it.Not like used fuel rods or such.

Did you read the quoted article, the bit about the "subsurface fire making it's way to nuclear waste".

Nuclear waste while a general term doesn't not include clothing, medical waste etc. Even were the waste of the medical variety it is still very harmful.

reply to post by qmantoo


I don't live anywhere near the area but if the other folks in the area do it would be great to ask co-workers, family, friends, etc if they know anyone in the area for feedback. If it is networked and we get some attention on a national basis we may be able to get something more done than what the local authorities want which is to make it go away. Living where I do I could still get some of the fallout depending on wind direction so thanks for bringing this to the public view. And a kind greeting to those who have responded who live in the same area great to know there are fellow members here!

I believe I read that it is not just medical and low level waste buried at the West Lake nuclear dump. There is uranium there and the pdf cites dangers from disturbed soil.

quote from this site about the uranium

The 200-acre Westlake Landfill site is adjacent to agricultural land and is in the flood plain of the Missouri River. From 1939 to 1985, limestone was quarried on the site. Beginning in 1962, portions of the property were used for landfilling of solid and liquid industrial wastes, municipal refuse, and construction debris. In 1973, Cotter Corp. disposed of over 47,000 tons of uranium ore processing residues mixed with soil in two areas covering a total of 16 acres of the site. A radiological survey conducted for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1981 and 1982 documented radioactive wastes on site. Property adjacent to the landfill was investigated in 1990, which identified radiological contamination that migrated from the landfill.

Yes, I dont think that underground fires can be stopped just by placing a barrier in the earth unless it is a very large and deep barrier. The fire will generally find its way around or under eventually and however much water is dumped on top of the ground, it is not going to be put out. Just my opinion as I am not an expert.

from the pdf linked below

Critics of the selected remedy for OU-1, including the Missouri Coalition for the Environment,
want the radiologically-impacted material to be excavated and shipped to an off-site location. In
two letters to EPA Headquarters dated April 2009 and December 2009, the Great Rivers
Environmental Law Center (on behalf of the Coalition) again raised its concerns and requested
the remedy be reevaluated. After extensive consultation between the Region and Headquarters,
EPA made a decision to conduct a supplemental feasibility study (SFS) for OU-1 that further
evaluates the ROD-selected remedy, as well as full-scale excavation of the
radiologically-impacted material and disposal either off-site or in a new, on-site engineered
disposal cell outside of the Missouri River floodplain. The Remedial Design/Remedial Action
(RD/RA) negotiations (which sequentially follow the signing of the ROD) for both OU-1 and
OU-2 were put on hold in June 2009, pending the outcome of the SFS.
In January 2010, EPA agreed to allow the Potentially-Responsible Parties (PRPs) to perform the
SFS, pursuant to the existing Administrative Order on Consent, under which the PRPs had
performed the RI/FS and RD. EPA-Headquarters (Jim Woolford) sent a letter to the Great
Rivers Environmental Law Center on March 3, 2010 stating that EPA would conduct a SFS.
The SFS work plan was approved under a cover letter dated May 21, 2010, and was released to
the public in June 2010. The SFS report was approved with comments under a cover letter dated
November 14, 2011 and was released to the public in December 2011. The SFS report contains
a detailed analysis of each alternative, but does not make a recommendation on which alternative
should be implemented.
After completion of the SFS, EPA determined that the remedies must be evaluated by EPA's
National Remedy Review Board. As of early 2012, the NRRB review is ongoing

Westlake Landfill pdf document 29Mar12
Nuclear News
EPA Final Supplemental Feasibility Study, Operable Unit 1, December 2011 (PDF)
and Errata Page for Figure 2 of Study (PDF)
Westlake Landfill website
Missouri Dept of Natural resources - various reports etc

Owners of smelly Bridgeton landfill must fix the problem this summer, attorney general says

Republic Services Inc. will place a plastic cap on its Bridgeton landfill by early September to control foul odors and extinguish an underground fire, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced Tuesday.

...

Koster called the possibility of fire reaching West Lake remote and a worst-case scenario. Emergency plans include building a barrier between the two landfills with help from the Environmental Protection Agency if the fire moves closer.
Joseph Bindbeutel, an assistant attorney general, said the fire was considered contained at 1,200 feet from West Lake about three weeks ago but that the situation is changing rapidly. He did not elaborate.

Useful fact sheet(PDF) on Hydrogen Sulfide for those living and working nearby

I live about 20 miles from the landfill. I pass it on my way to the airport, or to a Cardinal baseball game. I also used to work a couple of miles from the landfill, in Bridgeton.

The odor used to occasionally rear it's head, and if the wind was blowing the wrong way you might get a funky smell. But, it is different now. The smell is overwhelming and noxious.

This is also the first I have heard and nuclear waste near the site. What a bonehead move to put a huge landfill and light it on fire near this sort of waste material. This has the makings of turning out very badly.

Originally posted by qmantoo
We are going to have our very own Fukushima and it wont be because of a core meltdown either.

It won't even begin to come close to being anywhere even remotely on par with Fukushima. The radioactive waste that was dumped there was uranium ore remnants after processing. Uranium ore isn't very radioactive to begin with. That's why it has to be enriched to be used in a weapon.

If the fire reaches the waste, there may be a small localized release, and there might be a chemical danger to people that live very close to the area, but there's not going to be anywhere near a major release.

reply to post by qmantoo

Any new info you've discovered as of late?
By the way, there are certain people who will enter any threads related to nuclear radiation only to dispel fears surrounding and spread disinformation related to its involvement with illness, birth defects, and other topics. Please simply ignore these posters. Just check their profiles to see that they have a pattern for posting on threads related to nuclear radiation, then read what they have to say.
Thanks and good job.

I was rather hoping that the folks who lived nearby would pick it up and run with it, but I guess they have other things on their plate at the moment. My rss feeds for the the last couple of days says there has been a delay on starting work to reduce the smells, due to the weather.

Various articles like this
Bridgeton landfill work begins Monday

BRIDGETON, Mo. (KSDK) - The smell from the Bridgeton landfill will intensify as work begins to reduce the smell in the area.

Workers on Monday will start to extricate six underground concrete columns before work on the plastic cap can begin. They will have to move soil, which means the smell will intensify.

Republic Services and Attorney General Chris Koster agreed to a relocation project which will allow some people in the area to move into hotels for the next three weeks.

All the construction is supposed to be finished by Labor Day.

and
Weather Postpones Drilling at Burning Bridgeton Landfill

BRIDGETON, Mo. (KMOX) - Drilling at the Bridgeton Landfill will not begin as scheduled today because of the rain.

A Republic Services spokesman tells KMOX News the drilling will probably begin tomorrow unless storms hit the area tonight. The drilling will cause the landfill stench to get worse but Republic says the drilling will put out the fire so the smell will eventually go away.

Residents living within a mile of the landfill are entitled to a free hotel room paid for by Republic Services during the drilling. Bridgeton police say there will be increased patrols around any vacant homes.

and

Work on Bridgeton landfill this week will make smell worse; some neighbors staying elsewhere

BRIDGETON, Missouri — Residents who live near a suburban St. Louis landfill are moving into temporary homes as work begins that will make an already smelly situation worse.

The operators of the Bridgeton landfill were scheduled to begin work Monday that will temporarily increase the noxious smell coming from the landfill. The company has offered to relocate about 270 households within a mile of the landfill while the work proceeds.

However, the project was delayed at least day because of rain and the potential for severe weather. Republic says it will remove six concrete columns from the landfill to prepare for putting a plastic cap over the landfill.

The 52-acre landfill near Lambert Airport has long been the subject of complaints about its smell and possible health concerns.

reply to post by Afterthought


I have yet to hear anyone say that radiation doesn't kill, or that it doesn't cause birth defects and other things. I HAVE heard people (including me) say that it's not "Ohs noes! Radiaton! We're all gonna die!" and try to be realistic about it.

But feel free to do like 99% of ATS and stick your head in the sand and run around screaming about how evil it is and how it's going to kill us all.

Bridgeton residents worry landfill fire reaching radioactive waste

Residents are now want the state to take over the landfill. Residents believe the heat levels have allowed the fire to jump the interceptor wells meant to prevent the fire from reaching the radioactive waste.

A spokesperson for Bridgeton Landfill, LLC told NewsChannel 5 the situation is under control and that the fire in nowhere near reaching the waste in the North Quarry. The company released a statement that said in part, "Assuming the rate of movement towards the North quarry doesn't continue to slow or stop, at currently measured rates of movement it would take more than 10 years to reach the edge of the North quarry."

But, residents aren't buying it.

At the beginning of the year we were told the landfill fire was 1200 feet away from the radioactive waste. The Attorney General said last week its 1,000 feet away. That's 200 feet in 5 months," said Ed Smith, a member of the non-profit Missouri Coalition for the Environment.

Smoke Rises from Burning Bridgeton Landfill as Workers Dig

It’s Day Three of the dig that’s part of the court-approved action plan sought by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster in cooperation with Republic Service Inc., owners of the Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill.

Depending on where you’re standing, the air smells like burnt plastic, mixed with pungent, decomposing garbage.

From across the street as viewed through binoculars, men in hard hats could be seen standing nonchalantly on the hillside of the landfill, watching an earth mover lift out smoldering scoops of dirt mixed with trash. Thick steam rose out of the hole, obscuring the legs of the workers who did not appear to be wearing breathing masks or any protective gear.

The plan calls for removing six pipes believed to be feeding oxygen to the fire, and then capping the entire fire site with plastic tarp to smother the fire and lock in the odor.

No flames were showing Thursday afternoon, just smoke.

Coldwater Creek, West Lake Landfill Activists Meet with Sen. Claire McCaskill's Office

"A group of us went to her office in Delmar and took part in a video conference with two members of her staff in Washington," she said. "The main goal of our meeting was so show the lack of communication from the EPA to this community and to forcefully urge the federal government to step in and ask that control of West Lake Landfill be handed over to FUSRAP so that remediation of this site can start as soon as possible." Chapman also said she asked the senator's office to help expedite getting EPA data from an Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) plane flyover that recently occurred on and around Coldwater Creek, as well as West Lake Landfill. ASPECT is a small aircraft EPA uses to detect and gather chemical and radiological data.
...
Chapman said she would like for a proper risk assessment be completed that shows what the potential threats are if the fire that is burning under the Bridgeton Landfill comes into contact with radioactive material. "We've been begging for a meeting with the EPA since the fire started getting out of control," she said. "We've got a lot of questions for them, and we're getting a little tired of asking nicely. "They are the ones that hold the answers to West Lake." Chapman says the next step is getting West Lake away from the EPA and into the Army Corps of Engineers hands, and possibly removing the waste from the area.

"We were blessed to be joined by members of Coldwater Creek (movement) and together we asked that Senator Claire McCaskill help in the process of getting our communities classified as "down winder" communities," she said. "We have all been living down wind of nuclear weapons waste from the Manhattan Project."