Tests reveal stormwater contamination at Missouri landfill

BRIDGETON, Mo. -- Missouri test results reveal stormwater from just outside a landfill complex contains radioactive contaminants.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources found levels of alpha particles that exceeded the threshold allowed in drinking water outside the West Lake Landfill, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Environmental Protection Agency officials said the data doesn't signal a public-health risk because stormwater doesn't represent a source of drinking water. Alpha particles are a form of radiation that needs to be ingested to pose a significant health threat.

"This is not drinking water, and drinking-water standards are inapplicable," said Russ Knocke, spokesman for Republic Services, the landfill's operator. "We don't see anything of concern in these results, nor did DNR express any concern when it posted them."

EPA officials also said without further investigation, there's no established connection between the radioactivity found in the tests and the landfill's contents.

"It doesn't necessarily fingerprint it to the landfill," said Curtis Carey, public-affairs director for EPA Region 7.

The landfill was a dumping ground for Manhattan Project-era radioactive waste. The EPA has been overseeing the cleanup of the landfill through its Superfund program, and it's partly financed through Republic Services.