Gordon Asks EPA To Evaluate Landfill’s Safety
May 21, 2007,MURFREESBORO – After learning that Middle Point landfill has been accepting thousands of tons of low level radioactive waste, U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to verify the safety of the landfill.
“The public will be better served if they are well-informed rather than kept in the dark,” said Gordon. “People live near this landfill, employees work there, and city residents get their water downstream of this waste. All of us have a tremendous stake in the safe operation of Middle Point.”
Recent news reports revealed that thousands of tons of low level nuclear waste from across the nation have been added to the landfill in recent years. Gordon, the chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, has asked the EPA to check radiation levels at the landfill to ensure the waste is not endangering residents and workers.
Gordon also wants the EPA to examine the radiation levels of leachate, which is produced when rainwater percolates through the landfill. The leachate is treated by the Murfreesboro Water and Sewer Department.
In addition, he has asked EPA officials to ensure the safety of the city’s water intake system, which is located a few hundred yards downstream of Middle Point.
“Rutherford County should not be the dumping ground of nuclear waste from California and across the nation,” Gordon said. “We must ensure the safety of every person by making sure the Middle Point landfill is not having a detrimental effect on our air, land or water.”
