The Decision:
A Joint Effort
On August 10, 1982, more than 2,000 St. Charles County residents filled a high school gymnasium to express their opposition to a proposal by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Their opposition was centered on the DOE's proposed plan to consolidate wastes from the quarry and the Chemical Plant and bury them with low-level radioactive wastes from Missouri and four other states. Residents demanded that no outside waste should be disposed at Weldon Spring. They also demanded more public input and a clearer commitment to the health and safety of the community. The DOE was sent back to the drawing board to rewrite the plan.
It was at this time that a group of local citizens formed the St. Charles Countians Against Hazardous Waste. They worked with state and local officials to petition Congress to authorize the cleanup of the site. Also at this time, the DOE initiated efforts to increase public participation in the planning process.
In 1986, the DOE issued a "Draft Environmental Impact Statement" under the National Environmental Policy Act. Over 1100 citizens attended a public meeting concerning the report in April 1987. Due to the rejection of this report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Missouri and the public, the DOE agreed to follow the guidelines and regulations established under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). CERCLA required extensive investigations, studies, and more input from the state and the public before the cleanup at the Weldon Spring Site could begin.
In December 1992, the U.S. DOE again presented a proposed plan for cleanup and disposal of the Weldon Spring wastes. The plan proposed disposing only the wastes from the Weldon Spring Site in an on-site engineered disposal cell. This time, only a handful of residents spoke out against the plan. In September 1993, the Record of Decision for remedial action at the Chemical Plant was approved, which cleared the way for construction of the 45-acre disposal cell.
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