Radioactive-Sludge

RADIOACTIVE SEWAGE SLUDGE FERTILIZER

Part 1
The Lowdown on Lowry
The city thought it had settled any questions about the Lowry Landfill. The truth is a toxic
shocker.
BY EILEEN WELSOME
A confidential legal analysis prepared in 1996 for the City of Denver illuminates another
aspect of the arrangement that's beneficial to polluters: As long as the contaminated
groundwater remains on-site, it is categorized as hazardous waste and subject to the
plethora of federal laws governing the disposal and storage of such wastes. But once the
liquids are pumped through the sewers, the "site waters" need only meet the standards of
the sewage-treatment facility accepting the wastes.
http://www.westword.com/issues/2001-04-12/feature.html/1/index.html

Part 2
Board Games
When a boardmember refused to go with the flow, Metro's plan to handle Lowry
wastewater got down and dirty.
BY EILEEN WELSOME
Instead of paying millions to aid in the cleanup, Metro had agreed to pump contaminated
water from the landfill through its sewer system. Anderson found the plan disturbing,
because she'd found evidence that the landfill contained radioactive materials. The
proposal also represented a departure from the cleanup program announced by the EPA
in 1994;
http://www.westword.com/issues/2001-04-26/feature2.html/1/index.html

Part 3
A Matter of Trust
Who paid what to clean up Lowry Landfill? That's confidential.
BY EILEEN WELSOME
Confidential court documents reveal that sixteen polluters were concerned enough about
potential radioactive contamination at Lowry to purchase "radioactive premiums" from the
City of Denver and Waste Management, the private company that began operating the
landfill in 1980. The radioactive premium was one of about six different options that were
offered, protecting polluters on everything from cost overruns to potential lawsuits that
might be brought some day by disgruntled neighbors. All told, the city and Waste
Management collected approximately $38 million in premiums and another $72 million for
cleanup and other expenses.
http://www.westword.com/issues/2001-04-19/feature.html/1/index.html