By AP/KWMU
Bridgeton, MO – The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that soil at a contaminated landfill in Bridgeton be covered, rather than dug up and hauled away.
The 200-acre West Lake Landfill is a Superfund site contaminated by Cold War-era weapons work. Critics say the contamination should be removed because it's near the Missouri River.
But the EPA says the radioactive contamination can be safely managed using conventional landfill techniques.
The cost is estimated at $23 million over 30 years. Removing the contaminated soil would cost more than three times as much.