IRG: We will remove the landfill materials if we have to
“…or we would actually go through the process to get approval to remove that landfill material, if we have to, in those areas.” This is the first time I have heard IRG state that they would remove any of the “landfill materials” from the proposed “Lowry Vista” project site. If you are not familiar with the myriad details go here, here, here, and the index to the right. I recently learned that the water table on this site is just 2 feet below ground level. That makes sense when you think of the wetland just to the north, and the dam beyond that. What Marcus is trying to cover here is the fact that Urban Drainage said NO to the entire project, so IRG is proposing to dig out the north and build up to the south, to get the whole thing above the flood plane. Nonetheless, this is the first time I’ve heard IRG mention the possibility of actually doing what should have been done in the first place – dig up the landfill and haul it to a “safe” place, which I presume is in Nevada.
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Are the IRGs actually considering excavating the old radioactive waste dump? This is what the enviros have suggested for years, and even the EPA once advocated, but the Air Force refused to do it. This should have been done long before there were residents nearby on the order of what exists today. Our elected officials let us down then, and didn't force it be done then. Now it's cart after the horse time, but better late than never, right?
ReplyDeleteAt the radioactive Shattuck dump in south Denver, the community successfully demanded protection from windblown contaminants in soils, and a huge tent was erected to cover the acres of hot wastes as they were being excavated and removed by rail.
This is clearly what should occur at the Lowry AFB dump. And after it's excavated and remediated at the liable parties' expense (that's an interesting squabble, no doubt), the community should get what it was promised: open space.
And the workers who would be hired to dig up this stuff? Only responsible contractors should get near this, with maximum protections and safeguards for their workers. Otherwise, it could be another debacle like the IRGs' site in Downey, California, which the IRGs say is "safe."
Better "safe than sorry, right?
Do what's right and clean it up. In the long run, it's good for Denver's economy, and of course, public health and the environment.