Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

EPA orders waste cleanup at U. Nebraska site
By Steve Scharf
Daily Nebraskan (U. Nebraska)
09/11/2007

(U-WIRE) LINCOLN, Neb. — Chemical waste buried by the University of Nebraska in the late 1970s and early 1980s will be removed in the coming eight to 12 weeks.

The university's Agricultural Research and Development Center in Mead, Neb., was home to agricultural-related animal and plant testing that used chemicals like toluene and xylene, which are known to cause health problems in humans when exposed to high doses.

The waste was disposed of in accordance with standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency, which mainly concerned the proper burial of contaminated materials.

Waste produced by the university included chemical waste, low-level radiological waste and biological tissue waste, including animal carcasses.

The materials will be removed from the several pits that were dug to contain the waste at the site.

Once removed, the materials will be analyzed to determine their classification, said Scott Marquess of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Based on its toxicity, the material may be shipped to various disposal sites across the United States.

If it is not determined to be hazardous, it may be placed in local landfills.

It does not appear the waste has seeped into local groundwater supplies, Marquess said, adding the EPA has not heard any reports of exposure to the chemicals.

The university's involvement with the site began between 1962 and 1971, when 9,666 acres of land were purchased on property formerly occupied by the Nebraska Ordnance Plant, which manufactured bombs for the army.

In 2002, the university was identified as an EPA Superfund "responsible party," which legally requires the university to clean up the waste it disposed on the site.

The EPA isn't sure how much material must be removed in order for the site to meet the cleanup criteria administered by the EPA, though Marquess estimates it's about 1150 cubic yards of waste material and any contaminated dirt.

Marquess said the EPA will be protective of the groundwater so chemicals that could contaminate groundwater or soil will not be left behind.

The university is looking at a cost of $6 million for the entire operation, Marquess said.

Contractors from Omaha's Mattec Corp., will be responsible for the site's cleanup, which will be supervised by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

Debbie King of the EPA said the project has been planned for a while.

"It's been on our radar for some time," she said.

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