BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The EPA is investigating a former landfill in Broken Arrow for radioactive material.
The site is near Kenosha and 219th near Tractor Supply.
To many, it looks like a construction site with a fence, caution tape, and signs. It's off a busy road with a business nearby, but it's an area that needs some attention.
When the EPA was on-site, they say they found Thorium 232 on the seven-acre site. They say it's a naturally occurring element that's slightly radioactive.
David Robertson with the EPA says Broken Arrow trash was disposed of here back in the 70s. Now, he says they're putting layers of a clay cap over the site, followed by grass seed, a fence, and a sign to prevent water, wind, or rain from getting on the site.
2 News spoke with a Broken Arrow resident that lives near the former landfill. He's concerned about what's going on underneath the ground and how it will impact the future.
“Think about resale. How is this going to affect the resale of homes in the future? Are you going to want to buy a house that is on an EPA superfund sight that might turn you green? I don’t know,” says Keith Deaver.
Robertson says the land was sold to a private investor in the early 2000s. It will cost the EPA around $1.2 million to cap it, but Robertson says that the investor could also be responsible for cleanup.
As long as the weather in the foreseeable future cooperates, crews will be out here laying the clap cap. They expect to be done by the end of the week.
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