Nobody would be crazy enough to leave radioactive waste sitting in a landfall for a quarter-century. Especially if that landfill sat in the floodplain for a river that provided drinking water for a major city. Even if that somehow came to pass, nobody would be so callous as to suggest that a proper cleanup consisted of dumping some rock and clay on top of the landfill to “seal it off.” Unfortunately, there is such a nobody, and that nobody is the EPA.

In 1973, radioactive materials were illegally dumped in the West Lake Landfill. This landfill sits eight miles removed from the intake pipes on the Missouri River that provide about 20% of the water for St. Louis County, mostly in the north. About a month ago, the EPA proposed a solution; instead of excavating the material and securing it in a bunker, they will cover the landfill with rock, construction material, and some clay. If cracks develop in the “seal”, a major flood could easily contaminate both St. Louis City and County drinking water.

If you’re as concerned about this as I am, you can attend the St. Louis County Council meeting tonight at 5:45pm at 41 S Central, Avenue, Clayton, MO to express yourself.

If you can’t attend the meeting, you can also write to

Mr. Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1220 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC  20460