By Andy Sheehan
Updated on: April 14, 2026 / 7:28 PM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh
After decades of lawsuits, cancer concerns and public outcry, federal crews this week begin removing a large buried nuclear waste site in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
The dump near Apollo contains hundreds of 55‑gallon drums of radioactive material placed during the Cold War. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a half‑billion‑dollar remediation will safely excavate the waste and contaminated soil and move the material to permanent storage in Utah.
“We’re beginning active remediation,” Col. Nicholas Melin, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, said. “The movement of waste material from here all the way out to Utah, where it will go into permanent storage.” He added that more than $400 million has already been invested and that crews will proceed “at the speed of safety,” a process expected to take six to eight years.
The drums lie buried in 10 trenches. Contractors will remove soil in thin, controlled increments—about six‑inch layers—using specially designed backhoes. Excavated material will be tested for radioactivity, packaged in fabric liners, placed in heavy‑metal containers and transported weekly to Wampum in Lawrence County, where rail shipments will carry the waste to an underground repository in Utah.
Protective measures at the worksite include enclosed trench covers, continuous air monitoring and an on‑site water treatment plant to prevent contamination of groundwater. “Our final layer of protection is these air and water monitors around the perimeter, which are going to enable us to ensure that nothing escapes the perimeter that shouldn’t,” Melin said.
Local residents, many of whom grew up near the site, have long expressed anxiety despite the safeguards. Steve Brown, who still lives in Parks Township, said neighbors remain nervous about the scale and cost of the cleanup.
The Army Corps cites nearby abandoned mines and the potential for spread as reasons the cleanup is essential. Officials say once remediation is complete the site will be restored to conditions comparable to a typical backyard and the area’s legacy as a Cold War dumping ground will be put behind it.
The project follows decades of public activism, reported cancer clusters, and multimillion‑dollar class‑action settlements tied to the site’s history as a disposal area for volatile material from local military and nuclear industry operations.