West Lake Landfill
| Company type | Decommissioned landfill |
|---|---|
| Industry | Waste disposal |
| Founded | 1950s (landfill operations commenced) |
| Headquarters | Bridgeton , United States |
| Products | Mixed waste landfill, including radioactive materials |
| Website | www |
West Lake Landfill is a decommissioned, unlined landfill for mixed waste located in Bridgeton, Missouri. It contains radioactive materials and has been designated as an EPA Superfund site requiring cleanup. The landfill has been the subject of documentaries including The First Secret City and HBO's Atomic Homefront.
History
Originally, the area functioned as a limestone quarry starting in 1939 under the operation of Westlake Quarry Company. Landfill operations commenced during the 1950s. In 1973, B&K Construction Co., working under contract for Cotter Corporation, unlawfully disposed of 8,700 short tons of leached barium sulfate—a radioactive residue generated from Mallinckrodt Chemical Works’ uranium enrichment activities conducted during the Manhattan Project—blended with 39,000 short tons of topsoil to reduce contamination levels.
Following the identification of radioactive contamination, West Lake was proposed for inclusion on the Superfund list in October 1989 and officially added in August 1990. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission conducted an investigation into the waste disposal practices and issued a report in 1977.
The EPA recognized four potentially responsible entities: the US Department of Energy, Cotter Corporation, and Republic Services subsidiaries Bridgeton Landfill and Rock Road Industries. These parties were mandated to undertake investigations consistent with CERCLA requirements.
After thorough evaluations and community involvement, the EPA finalized a remediation plan in 2008 that involved installing a multilayer cap over approximately 40 acres of contaminated land (OU-1), combined with institutional controls and ongoing monitoring. A supplemental feasibility study was published in 2011, followed by further data collection requested by the EPA National Remedy Review Board in 2012.
An aerial survey conducted by the EPA in 2013 confirmed that the radioactive waste remained securely contained within OU-1 without posing hazards to adjacent areas.
Additional complications arise from a nearby underground smoldering fire (OU-2), situated roughly 1,000 feet from the radioactive waste zone. Experts have determined that radiation exposure risk from this fire remains minimal.
In February 2018, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt introduced the “Excavation Plus” strategy, proposing removal of radioactively contaminated soil exceeding 52.9 pCi/g down to a depth of 16 feet. This plan aims to extract about 67% of the landfill’s radioactive material within five years at an estimated cost of $236 million. The responsible parties—including Bridgeton Landfill LLC, Rock Road Industries Inc., Cotter Corporation, and the Department of Energy—are accountable for funding the cleanup. The proposal also entails constructing a protective cover system to ensure long-term safety for the Bridgeton community.
Current management
The landfill is segmented into two operable units (OUs), OU-1 and OU-2, both containing radioactive substances. OU-1 encompasses 940 cubic yards at surface level and 24,000 cubic yards below ground, while OU-2 includes 8,700 cubic yards on the surface and 109,000 cubic yards subsurface.
Management authority currently rests with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has commissioned numerous reports detailing OU-1’s history, status, and remediation options. Key documents include the April 2000 "Remedial Investigation Report" and the May 2006 feasibility study assessing site conditions and potential corrective measures.
Following these assessments, the EPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) in May 2008 outlining a remediation approach centered on installing a multilayer cap to contain hazardous materials alongside long-term groundwater surveillance. A supplemental feasibility study completed in 2011 further examined excavation alternatives in response to agency review and public input.
These initiatives demonstrate EPA’s proactive leadership in addressing environmental hazards at West Lake Landfill while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and supporting sustainable site management goals.
Investigations
The EPA mandated that potentially responsible parties carry out a Supplemental Feasibility Study (SFS) for OU-1, with the comprehensive report published in December 2011. Significant activities included gamma cone penetration testing and sonic core sampling during mid-2015 to evaluate radiological effects, completion of an off-site air quality monitoring program lasting one year by June 2015, pyrolysis experiments conducted in late 2015 to analyze material responses to heat, and revisions to site characterization along with the conceptual site model by 2016. Public input on long-term remediation options and the EPA’s finalization of the 2008 ROD were planned for 2017.
Subsurface smoldering event
In December 2010, elevated heat readings at the neighboring Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill revealed the presence of a subsurface smoldering event (SSE), characterized by a slow-burning chemical reaction underground without visible flames or smoke unless it breaches the surface. By March 2013, high temperature zones had expanded across an area larger than 15 football fields at depths exceeding 150 feet. Attempting excavation to extinguish the SSE posed considerable difficulties, potentially increasing hazardous emissions and raising the likelihood of surface breakthroughs.
Isolation barrier
After identifying the smoldering fire, Republic Services began constructing a containment barrier in September 2013 aimed at preventing smoldering waste from migrating toward radioactive materials stored within OU-1.
By December 2015, the EPA, in collaboration with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the US Army Corps of Engineers, resolved to install a physical isolation barrier at the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site. The design incorporates engineering controls like cooling loops intended to reduce risks if subsurface smoldering reaches radioactive waste.
Additionally, landfill operators plan to cap the North Quarry area, install trenches designed to capture liquids and gases beneath the cap, and improve gas monitoring systems.
Associated risks
Although radioactive waste is present onsite, a 2015 independent assessment by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded that there is no significant health threat to surrounding communities. Radon concentrations remain well below dangerous levels; groundwater flows away from inhabited zones and is not used as a drinking source; soil testing has not detected radioactive contamination.
Future management
In mid-2016, proposals surfaced to transfer responsibility for managing West Lake landfill to the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), overseen by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Established in 1974, FUSRAP specializes in remediating radioactive contamination from early nuclear projects conducted by the US Atomic Energy Commission. The program utilizes independent government scientists for site assessments while waste management decisions rest with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Legal challenges against these decisions by responsible parties are not permitted. FUSRAP currently manages two comparable cleanup efforts in St. Louis: the St. Louis Airport Site (SLAPS) and Hazelwood Interim Storage Site (HISS).
Steven Stockton, director of civil works at the Corps, noted that incorporating West Lake into FUSRAP would not speed up remediation efforts. Moreover, influential members of both the US congressional energy committee and the Army Corps have expressed opposition to Missouri’s delegation proposal seeking to shift landfill oversight from EPA Superfund jurisdiction to FUSRAP.
Further reading
- EPA Region 7 Midwest (2015). "West Lake Update: The Road Forward," June 15, 2015, accessed October 27, 2015.
- EPA Region 7 Midwest (2015). "West Lake Update: The Crucial Role of EPA Oversight in the Remediation Process at West Lake," July 6, 2015, accessed October 27, 2015.
See also
External links
- Business services companies established in 2009
- Landfills in the United States
- Radioactive contamination
- Superfund sites in Missouri
- Environment of Missouri
- Waste disposal incidents in the United States
- Disasters in Missouri
- Nuclear accidents and incidents in the United States
- Environmental controversies
- American companies established in 2009
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment