Army Corps to give update on Parks Township nuclear waste dump cleanup

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold another public information session Thursday to update residents on remediation efforts for the nuclear waste dump in Parks Township.

The meeting will be at the Parks Township Fire Department, 1119 Dalmation Drive. Doors open for display stations at 6:30 p.m. A briefing from Army Corps officials will start at 7 p.m. and run until 8:30 p.m. The public can submit questions before the meeting by emailing CELRP-PA@usace.army.mil or calling 412-395-7500.

In conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Armstrong County emergency services, they will address comments and concerns regarding the status of the project and its effect on the Parks residents.

Cleanup of the site could start as early as this fall or winter.

The Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corp. (NUMEC) buried low-level radioactive waste on 44 acres at the intersection of Kiskimere Road and Route 66 in the 1960s and 1970s.

Planning for cleanup of the site began in 2002, when the property was added to the federal Formerly Utilized Sites and Remedial Action Program, which is aimed at cleaning up toxic sites once used by the federal government or companies working for the government.

Since then, the project has overcome a series of setbacks.

In 2011, the project was temporarily stopped after the Army Corps found evidence of what it said were severe safety violations by its then-contractor.

In 2017, the Corps awarded $350 millionremediation contract to Jacobs Technology Inc. Objections from other bidders to that contract held it up until 2019.

In 2023, the Army Corps announced it would need an additional $250 million to $500 million above the contract amount to complete the cleanup, which is expected to last until 2032.

Despite numerous outreach efforts and previous informational meetings, the Corps also is battling a seeming lack of information among nearby residents.

A survey conducted by Ariana Scott, a University of Pittsburgh public health graduate student, showed 86% of respondents could not recall receiving official information on the project. About 69% said they aren’t confident in the safety of the project and more than half said they didn’t know which government entity is overseeing the site.