Feds: Radioactive waste shipment to Wayne County poses no environmental threat

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers addressed concerns voiced by Michigan lawmakers about the shipment of radioactive waste to Wayne Disposal, assuring the public all proper safety measures are in place and that environmental surveillance will continue throughout the transport process.

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, had submitted a series of questions to the USACE, asking for details about its unexpected plan to ship 6,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and concrete and 4,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater from the Niagara Falls Storage Site to Wayne County.

“The Army has no greater priority than the protection of public health, safety, and the environment,” Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works, Michael Connor wrote in response. “The identification of this facility as a properly permitted facility to accept low-activity radioactive waste meeting state of Michigan acceptance criteria is the result of thorough and rigorous technical evaluations and engagements between the Corps, its contractors, and municipal, county, and state officials.”

The NFSS holds World War II era radioactive byproducts and waste from uranium processing during the atomic bomb project. The planned transport is part of an USACE project to clean up the environmental contamination at the site and repurpose it for industrial use.

Connor said the USACE chose Wayne Disposal for a variety of reasons, including the fact the federal government has successfully shipped and disposed of similar waste to the facility over many years.

The USACE vetted all 22 commercial hazardous waste disposal facilities across the country and found only seven fulfilled the conditions to accept radioactive waste. Only five, including the Wayne facility, historically expressed interest in receiving NFSS waste.

Connor said local officials and the public were not notified about the transport ahead of time because the U.S. Department of Transportation regulations do not require the Corps to do so.

“The levels of radioactivity in the contaminated soils from the NFSS are sufficiently low to not require transportation notifications to local, state, or federal agencies or Congress,” Connor explained.

The Corps has engaged with Wayne County and Van Buren Township leaders in the past regarding the disposal of radioactive materials, as well as the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Connor said.

“Questions about the Facility’s notification or outreach activities to the local community should be directed to Republic Services,” he added, referring to the company that owns Wayne Disposal.

The USACE has pledged to ensure the safety of the community by taking multiple precautionary measures during and after the transport.

“If the contaminated soils exceed the Facility’s limits, the Corps will not send that package to the Facility and will pursue treatment or disposal at an appropriately authorized facility,” Connor said. “All acceptable waste will be packaged, surveyed, marked, labeled, and manifested for transportation in accordance with DOT, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and disposal facility requirements, and will always be in custody to prevent unauthorized use or exposure.”

The Corps also conducts annual environmental audits of facilities processing such waste, including reviews of on-site processes, historical and personnel records, and environmental surveillance programs all reported to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The Corps’ most recent audit of Wayne Disposal did not identify any environmental or safety violations.

Following the USACE’s response, Dingell hosted a town hall Wednesday night to allow the Van Buren Township community to voice any additional health and safety concerns. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans and representatives from EGLE, DOT, EPA, and USACE all participated.