Radioactive Waste Headed for Wayne County, Local Authorities Disapprove

Protest against toxic waste.

Radioactive Waste Headed for Wayne County, Local Authorities Disapprove

Wayne County, a shocking decision has been announced that has left residents and officials mightily displeased. A surprising and unsettling amount of radioactive waste is due to be transported to our county from the Manhattan Project in New York. An estimated 4,000 gallons of radioactive groundwater and 6,000 cubic yards of radioactive waste are involved. Officials were taken aback by this sudden decision.

Alisha Bell, the Chair of the Wayne County Commission expressed disbelief, “We were all shocked and quite disappointed and pretty much enraged that, again, we’re having toxic waste go through the streets of Wayne County,”. The disappointment is understandable. Just last year, hazardous chemicals from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio were shipped to Wayne County. Now, Wayne County is to now receive radioactive waste remnants from the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb during World War II.

This waste will be hauled from the Niagara Falls Storage Site in Lewiston, New York straight to the Wayne Disposal facility right here in Van Buren Township. That’s just off our own I-94. Around 25 semi-trucks a week will be dumping this radioactive material off through January 2025, a troubling sight for any local.

Despite the unexpected nature of this decision and the concern of its constituents, it should be noted that the decision to permit this move was approved by both the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Local authorities were taken by surprise by this and claimed they weren’t given advanced notice. But they are already contacting all relevant authorities to address the situation.

According to an EGLE spokesperson, “the radioactivity in the waste is so low, it could go to any Class 2 landfill.” Still, the U.S. Corps of Engineers prefers to dispose of the material conservatively, and had to choose a facility that could effectively handle this type of waste. Consequently, Wayne County was selected for this task.

It is indeed a matter of significant concern and the local authorities are not sitting idle. The Wayne County Commission is preparing to host a special hearing with EGLE next week to see what could be done about this situation. Rest assured, the local authorities are doing their best to rectify this unexpected decision and ensure the safety and satisfaction of its inhabitants.