Maxey Flat

Coordinates: 38°15′30″N 83°34′10″W / 38.25833°N 83.56944°W / 38.25833; -83.56944

Maxey Flat Low-Level Radioactive Waste facility Superfund site
Aerial view of the Maxey Flats Disposal Site.
Geography
Town	Hillsboro
County	Fleming County
State	Kentucky
Information
CERCLIS ID	KYD980729107
Contaminants	Heavy metals, radioactive compounds, VOCs, pesticides, and PAHs
Responsible parties	50 "de maximis" parties 306 "de minimis" parties
Progress
Proposed	10/15/84
Listed	06/10/86
Superfund sites

The Maxey Flat Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) facility is a Superfund site in Kentucky.^[1]

Location

The entrance to the Maxey Flat Low Level Radioactive Waste site in Maxey Flat, Kentucky, USA. Taken in 2003 before the sign was removed by Homeland Security.

Maxey Flat is a hilltop community in Kentucky approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Morehead and approximately 17 miles (27 km) south of Flemingsburg on County Road 1895. It is on the county line of Rowan and Fleming counties. Maxey Flat is in the Knobs physiographic region of Kentucky, an area characterized by flat-topped ridges (Flats) and hills (Knobs). Maxey Flat is one of the largest flat-topped ridges in the area. Though the area is frequently referred to in government documentation as 'Maxey Flats,' the historically correct name of the area is simply 'Maxey Flat.'

Maxey Flat Low Level Radioactive Waste facility

As part of a program to encourage the nuclear industry in Kentucky, the Kentucky General Assembly created the Division of Nuclear Information. In 1960 the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation granting the governor power to enter into agreement with the federal government for the transfer of regulatory powers concerning atomic energy in Kentucky. Also in 1960, Governor Bert T. Combs charged the Cabinet of Health with the regulatory and licensing responsibilities for the handling of radioactive materials. In 1962 Kentucky became the first of the old Atomic Energy Commission "Agreement States." The Kentucky Division of Nuclear Information was then succeeded by the Division of Atomic Development which then transferred its responsibilities to the Kentucky Atomic Energy Authority which eventually became the Kentucky Science and Technology Commission. In retrospect it seems that many of these agencies were established with the hope of bringing a nuclear power plant to Kentucky. Despite being the first state to enter into agreement with the Atomic Energy Commission, Kentucky has never been the site of a nuclear reactor. However, in 1962 Nuclear Engineering Company, Inc. (NECO) bought 252 acres (1.02 km²) of land on Maxey Flat and submitted an application for a license to bury radioactive waste there. The license was granted in January 1963.

From 1963 to 1977 the Maxey Flat Low Level Radioactive Waste facility served as a dump for 832 corporations and government agencies. The site covered 252 acres (1.02 km²) and consisted of a series of 52 unlined trenches that are an average of 360 feet (110 m) long, 70 feet (21 m) wide and 20 feet (6.1 m) deep. Approximately 4,750,000 cubic feet (135,000 m³) of Low Level Radioactive Waste was deposited on-site. These trenches were capped with dirt when they reached their capacity limit, but because of the heavy rainfall in the area the soil collapsed into the trenches and the trenches filled with water. It has since been referred to as the "bathtub effect." The water that invaded the trenches became radioactive and had to be disposed of. Under the direction of President and Chief Executive Officer James N. Neel, Nuclear Engineering Company (referred to in operational documentation as 'NECO'), now known as 'American Ecology' (Nasdaq: ECOL), installed an evaporator and disposed of the accumulated radioactive water as steam from 1973 to April 1986, nearly 9 years after the site had stopped accepting waste materials. The evaporator generally operated 24 hours a day. Approximately six million gallons of liquid were processed by the evaporator. In addition to the trenches for Low Level Radioactive Waste there were "Hot Wells" that were used to store Special nuclear material (plutonium and enriched uranium). The Hot Wells were typically 10 to 15 feet (4.6 m) deep, constructed of concrete, coated steel pipe or tile, and capped with a slab of concrete. Approximately 950 pounds of Special Nuclear Material is buried at Maxey Flat.

From 1987 to 1991 a study was done to determine the best method of cleaning up the site. Extensive remediation was then undertaken, including the installation of a 45 mil scrim-reinforced geomembrane liner covering the site of the trenches to prevent the infiltration of water. The site is currently managed by the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The site is considered non-reclaimable and will have to be monitored and maintained in perpetuity. In 2003 the site's nature as a risk to national security came under review by the Department of Homeland Security, primarily because of the transuranic isotopes stored at the site.

In response to concerns that the radioactive isotopes at the site might be used against American interests, DHS had the sign at the entrance to the facility removed so it would be harder to find.

Potentially Responsible Parties (incomplete)

Companies AAI Corporation (for Aircraft Armaments) Abbott Laboratories ADCO Services (for Atomic Disposal) Advance Transportation Co. (for A&H Truck Line) Aeronca, Inc. Aeroprojects, Inc. Akzo Nobel (for American Enka) Aladdin Industries, Inc. American Can Co. American cast Iron Pipe Co. American Machine & Foundry Anchor Dyeing & Finishing Co. Applied Science Laboratories APA/Smithls Transfer Associated Radiologists, Inc. B. F. Goodrich Co. BASF Comp. Batesville Manufacturing Co. (Gencorp Aerojet) Bausch & Lomb Beazer East, Inc. (for Koppers Co.) Bethlehem Steel Corp. The BOC Group (for Air Reduction Co. & Airco Alloys & Carbide) BoWater Carolina Corp. BRT Inc. (for Huyck Felt) Bulova Watch Co., Inc. Campbell Soup Co. CBS, Inc. Chemetron Chemicals Colgate-Palmolive Co. Dow Corning Corp. Eaton Corporation Eli Lilly & Co. Ethyl Corporation Fansteel, Inc. Ford Motor Co. GAF Corporation General Motors Corp. The GNI Group, Inc. (for Nuclear Environmental Engineering) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Honeywell Inc. Industrial Process Co. Institute of Gas Technology Irvin Industries, Inc. (for Systems Research Labs) Laboratory Equipment Corp. Johnson Controls, Inc. Kittening Research Lab Kimberly-Clark Corp. Leeds & Northrup Mallinckrodt, Inc. Merck & Co, Inc. Marion Merrell Dow Inc. (for William S. Merrell Co.) Monsanto Company Morrison-Knudsen, Inc. Navistar International(for International Harvester) Nuclear Radiation Devel. Inc. Nuclear Sources & Services, Inc. Occidental Chemical Corp. (for Diamond Shamrock & Diamond Alkali) Oxcart Corp. Old Colony Dayton Envelope Co. (International Paper) Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp. Oxy USA (Cities Service Oil & Gas. Co.) Parke Davis & Co. Parkson Corp. Pennwalt Corp. Pharmacia, Inc. (for Electronucleonics) PPG Industries, Inc. Pyrotonics, Division of Baker Industries Quantum Chemical Corp. (for National Distillers and U.S. Industrial Chemicals Co.) R. G. Thomas & Associates Radiac Research Corp. RAM Electronics, Inc. Rexham Corp. (for Speedring and National Spectrographic Laboratories) Rhone-poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals Inc. (for William H. Rorer, Inc.) Rohm & Haas (for Warren-Teed Consolidated Biomedical Labs) Sealed Power Technologies (SPX Corp.) Searle Diagnostic Lab Standard Steel Texas Instruments, Inc. Theodore R. Schwalm, Inc. Todd Shipyards Corp. Troxler Electronic Labs, Inc. TRW, Inc. Uptown Company W. R.. Grace & Co. Warner-Lnohert Co. Welding Engineering Xtek Inc. (for Tool Steel Gear & Pinion co.)

Government agencies Department of Energy Department of the Interior Environmental Protection Agency National Institute of Mental Health National Institute for Standards NIOSH U.S. Bureau of Mines U.S. Dept. of Agriculture U.S. Food & Drug Administration U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Public Health Service Smithsonian Institution Veterans Administration Florida Dept. of Transportation Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Utilities and Energy firms Northern States Power Omaha Public Power District Wisconsin Electric Power Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co. Ashland Chemical Co. Ashland Petroleum Co. Exxon Research & Engineering (for Esso and Humble Oil Co.) Phillips Petroleum Co. Medical Research facilities Carnegie Institution of Washington IIT Research Institute Institute for Cancer Research Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Sterling Winthrop Research Inst. Research Triangle Institute Wistar Institute Universities Auburn University Brown University Bryn-Mawr College Carnegie-Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Catholic University Centre college Clemson University Columbia University Drexel University and Institute of Technology Medical College of Pennsylvania Duke University Emory University George Washington University Hospital Georgetown University Hospital Haverford College Howard University Jewish Hospital of St. Louis Johns Hopkins University Louisiana State University Lycoming College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Michigan State University Penn State University Purdue University Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center Rockford College Stevens Institute of Technology Rutgers University State University of New York Tulane University University of Alabama Systems University of Arkansas University of Cincinnati University of Connecticut University of Florida University of Illinois University of Maryland at Baltimore University of Miami University of Michigan University of Notre Dame University of Oklahoma University of Pennsylvania University of South Carolina University of Tennessee University of Texas University of Wisconsin–Madison Vanderbilt University Washington University Wayne State University West Virginia University Wittenberg University Yale University

Hospitals Albert Einstein Medical Center Alexander Blain Memorial Hospital Allegheny General Hospital American Oncologic Hospital Atlantic City Hospital Baptist Memorial Hospital (FL) Barnesville Hospital Bashline Hospital Assoc., Ltd. Bay Medical Center Bethany Medical Center Bethesda Hospital, Inc. (Cincinnati) Braddock General Hospital Brandywine Hospital (for Coatsville Hosp.) Charleston Memorial Hospital Chestnut Hill Hospital Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Children's Hospital (Colnmhusy OH) Christ Hospital (James N. Gamble Institute) Community Methodist Hospital Dover General Hospital & Medical Center Duplin General Hospital Kenansville Good Samaritan Hospital (Lexington, KY) Greater Southeast Community Hospital (formerly Morris Cafritz Hospital) Greene Memorial Hospital Henry Ford Hospital Hurley Hospital Incarnate Word Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital Jeanes Hospital Jewish Hospital (Louisville, KY) Johns Hopkins Hospital/Johns Hopkins Health System Johnston-Willis Hospital King's Daughterly Hospital Lankenau Hospital Lee Hospital Lenoir Memorial Hospital Lutheran Hospital of Indiana, Inc. Margaret R. Pardee Memorial Hospital Menorah Medical Center Mercy Catholic Medical Center Mercy Hospital Anderson (for Our Lady of Mercy Hospital) Mercy Medical Center (Coon Rapids, MN) Miami Valley Hospital Mother Fiances Hospital Mt. Sinai Medical Center (OH) Reid Memorial Hospital Retreat Hospital Roger Williams General Hospital Saginaw General Hospital Sandusky Memorial Hospital Southeastern General Hospital St. Francis Hospital St. Juleps Hospital St. Louis Testing Labs, Inc. St. Thomas Hospital Suburban Community Hospital Tampa General Hospital Tinmen Mercy Medical Center West Penn Hospital

Maxey Flat ground water contamination data from 1988

References in popular culture

• The Maxey Flat Low Level Radioactive Waste site is the subject of the documentary film American Threnody.

See also

• List of Superfund sites in Kentucky

References

1. ^ "Maxey Flat Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) facility Superfund site progress profile". http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/npl/nplky/maxfltky.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-21.