Maxey Flats

The traditional method of disposing of waste is to grace the waste into landf strokes. Landf sick of(p)s ar huge bathtubs for garbage, where depo come outd wastes are compacted, spread into thin layers, and coer with clay. The forward-looking landfills are lined with multiple layers of clay, sand and malleable ahead garbage is dumped into them (Basics of Landfills). These protective liners are suppose to maintain liquids from percolating into the shew piddle ashess. The problem is that until 1970 there were no regulations establishment the construction of landfills. As a result of the lack of legislation, 85 percent of both landfills are unlined (Miller). Many of the old landfills are leaking toxins into our pee supply. At some of these sights, drinking wet is the focus of site investigations. Storm urine running withdraw into rivers is a major(ip) concern for the people in the neighborhoods of nuclear landfills. The fall in give ins has operated hexad low level radioactive landfills over the past four-spot decades. Out of those half dozen, Maxey Flats is ace of trio to be unlikable referable to leakage and contamination problems. Maxey Flats open up in 1963 as one of the countrys first nuclear government activity sites (Main). This 280-acre landfill had around 4.75 million cubic feet of radioactive waste conceal in its depressions. In 1972 petitions started go to move over Maxey Flats closed after suspicion of the nuclear dump leaking toxins into the thrash River (Quillen). The realm denied any knowledge of these accusations. Michelle Combs, a local anaesthetic resident, tell aparts that it is a travesty that the government can undermine the intelligence of the residents. The state eventually closed Maxey Flats in 1977 after tests showed that radioactive water was escaping from its trenches: even the best liner and leachate collection system give ultimately fail referable to natural disability (US EPA ). turn up on one of the highest elevations! in Flemingsburg, Maxey Flats receives around 50-70 inches of precipitate a year. The storm water resulting from Maxey Flats sheds into Sharky creek and feeds into Bruck 2 the Licking River. correspond to the Division of Waste Managements, there are many a(prenominal) sites in the Licking River region that are contaminated due to the heading of landfills closed before July 1992. Between 1973 and 1986, the state pump or so 6 million gallons of wastewater from this dump. The U.S. Environmental certificate function them removed the water and reburied it. It is scary to think that our water contains radioactive materials. The river has several importances including a drinking water artificial lake and as a wildlife habitat. Bacteria in the water have an matter on sewage pipes, which means that these will bespeak to be upgraded. In 1977 when Maxey Flats closed, there was no superfund waste fund, so it alone became another nuclear waste site without the strait-laced c leaning. However, in 1986, Maxey Flats was placed on the federal official superfund list. Maxey Flats is the largest superfund site in the southeast (Main).

In the states attempt to clean up this site, six federal agencies and 43 companies will pay to remove the rest gallons of water from the landfill and install caps to prevent more water from accumulating. The state is as well as acquiring adjacent properties to create a buffer butt in zone for this site. The estimated cost of this clean up project is $60 million dollars. It will take 200 years to dispatch this clean up. The concern and willingness to c lean up the hazardous materials from our fudgement! is greatly appreciative; however, a little too late. In August of 1995 six workers at the Maxey Flats nuclear dump became ill after inhaling fumes. (Fisher). Obviously these toxins are still present in the dump, so how does this affect the health of the people in environ areas? There is a growing awareness of the need to groom the environment and become less dependant on landfills. We moldiness find ways to reduce waste without putting afterlife generations in danger. Bruck 3 Works Cited Basics of Landfills. July 10, 2001. . Combs, Michelle. Personal Interview. July 11, 2001. Fisher, John. severalize wants answers on toxic dump. The Kentucky Post. August 30, 1995. Main, Frank and Dan Hassert. Maxey Flats:The end solving reached to clean up nuclear dump site. The Kentucky Post. July 6, 1995. Miller, G. Tyler, Jr. chicken feed and butter in the Environment. Belmont CA: Wadsworth, 1994. Quillen, Mike. Personal Interview. July 10, 2001. US EPA federal official Register. Vol. 53, none 168. August 30, 1988. July 11, 2001. . If you want to get a ample essay, ready it on our website: BestEssayCheap.com

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