Contaminated material to be disposed of at Michigan and Ohio landfills

The Army Corps of Engineers has said in its March newsletter it plans to dispose of contaminated material removed from the former Brush Beryllium site near Luckey, Ohio, at the Waste Management Evergreen Landfill in Northwood, Ohio, and the U.S. Ecology Landfill in Wayne, Michigan.

According to a report in The Press, the corps has identified soils contaminated with beryllium, lead, radium-226, thorium-230, uranium-234, and uranium-238 as needing to be excavated and disposed off-site.

The article also states corps is estimating the cost will be closer to $244 million, much higher than its initial estimate of an initial cost estimate $59.4 million. The higher cost, the report states, is due to an increase in the estimated amount of contaminated soil. Two buildings at the site will reportedly have to be removed to fully address the contamination. The corps estimates 137,467 cubic yards of soil need to be excavated, including about 7,600 cubic yards of adjacent clean soil. 

Another 47,858 cubic yards of contaminated building debris may also be removed, the report says.

The corps held a meeting March 28 for residents in the Luckey area to view plans for cleaning up the plant.

The Press says the site was used to process beryllium in the early 1950s and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) sent about 1,000 tons of radioactive scrap metal there for processing magnesium. Beryllium scrap containing some radioactive materials from other AEC operations also was reportedly sent to Luckey for reprocessing.

The current property owner, Industrial Properties Recovery LLC (IPR), an industrial scrapping business, purchased the property in 2006 and began demolishing several buildings. According to the report the Ohio Department of Health ordered IPR to cease the demolition of buildings and handling of any radioactive material in December 2006. The site also was deemed a public health and safety concern by The Wood County Health District; and the Wood County Common Pleas Court issued an injunction against IPR in June 2009, which required the company to either demolish or make necessary repairs to site structures and salvage or properly dispose of all debris, The Press article states.

The company reportedly resumed demolition and salvage activities during late 2013. Later that year, the health department issued another order for the company to cease the removal of material from the site unless it has been confirmed as not having radioactive contamination.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued an order to halt demolition of site buildings in January 2014 until the company complies with state asbestos and air quality regulations.