Over objections from Denver, the board overseeing low-level radioactive waste disposal in the West ruled Tuesday that the city should begin sending radium-contaminated asphalt to a newly licensed waste dump in Adams County.
Even though it was going to raise costs by a third – about $1.1 million – Denver officials wanted to continue sending radium waste to an Idaho facility, rather than ship it to the dump near Last Chance.
The facility is the target of two lawsuits filed by Adams County. Adams County officials say the dump, owned by the Massachusetts-based Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc., does not have a valid license to handle radioactive materials.
Clean Harbors officials, backed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, insist they have the required permits.
“Frankly, we don’t want to find out who’s right,” said Assistant City Attorney Shaun Sullivan. “We want to take it to Idaho and be done with it.”
Members of the Rocky Mountain Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Board – which regulates low-level radioactive waste in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico – decided that Denver’s request would deliver an undue economic blow to the Clean Harbors facility.
Company officials said they’ve already spent $3 million making sure the dump could receive Denver’s radium waste and anticipated receiving $2.1 million for the transport and disposal of that material.
“It is the superior facility and the right place for this material to go,” said Bill Geary, Clean Harbors’ executive vice president and general counsel.
The radium waste was mixed into material used to pave roads throughout Denver more than 80 years ago.
The Denver Radium Site, consisting of 65 properties, was classified as a Superfund site and crews have been excavating the material over the past decade.
Denver hoped to begin work on the next project this week and worried the company’s legal squabbles would cause delays.
Geary said the company would pay for the temporary storage of Denver’s waste material if the Adams County lawsuits cause more delays.
In other business before the compact board, members delayed a decision on allowing the dump to accept drinking-water sludge that may contain low levels of radiation.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
