Possible U238 burn at Weldon Springs

[Laura Olah <olah@speagle.com>]

I received the following information in the mail today regarding possible
illegal incineration of Uranium-238 at Missouri's Weldon Springs Ordnance
Works. The following Fact Sheet was generated by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. Incidentally, I scanned the document so there may be typos. 

Laura

WELDON SPRING ORDNANCE WORKS FACT SHEET
Published by the US Army Corps of Engineers, October 1998

RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS AND
WOODEN TNT WASTEWATER PIPELINE

Introduction
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is committed to ensuring that no soils
containing radioactive materials above natural background levels will be
treated in the onsite incinerator as part of the cleanup of the Former
Weldon Spring Ordnance Works (WSOW). In October 1998, the Department of
Energy (DOE) identified low levels of Uranium-238 inside a portion of
the wooden TNT wastewater pipeline located on DOE property. As part of
its cleanup activities, the Corps of Engineers has already removed and
shredded pipeline on WSOW that was once connected to the pipeline on DOE
property. After shredding, the Corps of Engineers placed the pipeline
in a contained stockpile with other shredded pipe. It is possible that
some of the pipeline removed by the Corps of Engineers contained
Uranium-238 above background levels and may have been incinerated. This
fact sheet provides a summary of the information available to date as
the Army evaluates the available data and plans future steps.

Ordnance Works Cleanup
As part of the cleanup efforts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is
removing, shredding, and incinerating approximately 75,000 feet of
wooden pipeline formerly used to convey wastewater from the production
of TNT. This pipeline system was installed in 1941 and has not been
used since 1945; however, some of it still contains TNT at
potentially-explosive concentrations. As part of the Army's cleanup
plan, the pipeline is shredded, stockpiled, blended with TNT soils, and
incinerated to destroy the TNT.

Chemical Plant Construction
During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Energy Commission (predecessor to
the DOE) operated a uranium processing plant on a portion of the former
Weldon Spring Ordnance Works now referred to as the chemical plant
site. DOE is currently managing the cleanup of low-level radioactive
material on the chemical plant property. This effort is known as the
Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project (WSSRAP). The chemical plant
property includes areas that were formerly used in the TNT production
process. During construction of the chemical plant, TNT production
buildings and other facilities were removed including portions of the
wooden wastewater pipeline on the property. AEC records reviewed during
the design of the Army TNT cleanup indicated that all pipeline on the
chemical plant property, including that which ran to the west onto the
Army Weldon Spring Training Area (WSTA) was removed in 1955.

Pipeline Removal
In July 1998 as the Corps of Engineers removed portions of the
wastewater pipeline in the northeastern comer of the WSTA property, the
Army identified two pipelines in the same trench that appeared to
continue under the fence, onto the chemical plant property. The Army
immediately notified DOE, MDNR, and the EPA that additional pipeline may
be present on the chemical plant property. DOE developed a work plan
and sampling plan to remove the pipeline on the chemical plant
property. On October 15, 1998, DOE completed exploratory excavations,
removal, scanning, and sampling of the pipeline on the chemical plant. 
DOE then notified the Corps of Engineers that the interior of the
pipeline, located on the chemical plant, contained low levels of
Uranium-238. Upon receiving this information, the Corps of Engineers
immediately stopped feeding shredded pipeline from the stockpile as a
precautionary measure and notified MDNR and EPA of the situation.

Sampling Results to Date
The pipeline removed from the chemical plant property consisted of two
separate lines that had been connected to lines 
on WSTA and one isolated short section of pipe, not connected to lines
on WSTA. These lines, totaling approximately 
136 feet, were buried 4 to 10 feet deep and were in good condition. DOE
conducted field instrument screening and 
laboratory analyses which detected Uranium-238. Sampling results
obtained by DOE in mid October 1998 are presented 
in the table below and indicate Uranium-238 above background levels but
below DOE cleanup levels from the pipeline 
located on the chemical plant property.

Sample Medium/ Location Sample Results 
Sediment in pipe at east end of Uranium 238 at 69 pCi/g 
DOE line (farthest sampling 
point from WSTA fence) 

Sediment in pipe at fence line Uranium 238 at 1 1 pCi/g 
(closest sampling point to 
WSTA) 

Soil samples beneath pipe (4 Uranium 238 between 3.9 and 18 pCi/g
samples equally spaced along Radium 226 between 0.9 and 2.2 pCi/g
length of pipe) Radium 228 between 1.5 and 5.8 pCi/g
Thorium 232 between 0.3 and 0.4 pCi/g
Thorium 230 between 0.3 and 0.5 pCi/g

NOTE: Part of this table is missing; body of text too wide for this
format.

All pipeline removed by DOE is secured in a storage area on the chemical
niant property. The Corps of Engineers and 
the DOE are currently collecting additional samples and evaluating the
available data. The EPA and MDNR are 
overseeing all activities. The Army is holding a community meeting on
October 29, 1998 to provide information to the 
public.

WSOW Status
All pipeline that was excavated under the Army cleanup prior to July 28,
1998 was shredded and placed into one 
stockpile area. On that date, approximately 60,000 linear feet of pipe
(I I miles) had been removed. This amount of pipe 
creates approximately 3,000 cubic yards of shredded wood. Shredded pipe
was not added to this stockpile after July 28, 
1998. As of October 15, 1998 approximately 1,400 cubic yards (5 miles
or 47 percent) of pipeline remained in the 
stockpile area.

The Corps of Engineers' shredded pipeline stockpile is secured in a
bermed area on top of two layers of plastic liners and 
covered with a plastic cover. Additional shredded pipe is not being
added to this pile and shredded pipe from this pile is 
not being blended with soil or fed to the incinerator. Pipeline that is
currently being excavated in areas away from the 
chemical plant property is being shredded, blended with soil, and
incinerated. Soil samples collected from around the 
pipeline did not show the presence of TNT above cleanup goals and
therefore, soil from around the pipeline in question 
was not excavated and incinerated.

This fact sheet is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as
representative of the lead agency, the United 
States Army, at the Weldon Spring Ordnance Works site. Comments or
questions about this fact sheet should be 
directed to Dan Mroz at the Kansas City District Corps of Engineers,
(816) 983-3567. If you have questions about 
site history or current conditions, you may direct your questions to
Karl Daubel, Environmental Coordinator at 
the site, (314) 441-868 1. Information repositories for the site are
being maintained at the site office 
(contact Karl Daubel) and at the Kisker Road Branch Library of the St.
Charles County Library System. 
For additional information, visit our web site:
http://www.nwk.usace.army.mi/weldon/weldon.html

Laura Olah, Executive Director 
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
E12629 Weigand's Bay South
Merrimac, Wisconsin 53561
olah@speagle.com
Phone (608)643-3124 Fax (608)643-0005
Website http://www.speagle.com/cswab