IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!

SANDIA NATIONAL LABS AND THE NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT HOPE YOU’LL STAY SILENT ABOUT DRINKING NUCLEAR WASTE

Sandia National Labs and the New Mexico Environment Department are committing environmental crimes in Albuquerque. They are leaving High Level Nuclear mixed waste in unlined pits and trenches in a dump that is contaminating our drinking water. These High Level Wastes will remain dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years contaminating soil, air and water. These are among the most dangerous wastes on the planet – Plutonium, Americium, Depleted Uranium, Uranium-235, Mercury, Tritium, Beryllium, Sodium, TCE, PCBs and hundreds of other radionuclide’s, solvents and heavy metals. This deadly waste is right next door to homes here in Albuquerque: Mesa Del Sol, South Valley Residents, Isleta Pueblo, etc.

High Level Waste that comes from irradiating nuclear fuel in a reactor is required to be contained in a deep geologic repository where it will remain safe for at least 10,000 years. (Like the WIPP Facility) The Department of Energy, Sandia and the Environment Department knowingly continue to break environmental laws and regulations by allowing these wastes to remain and continue to threaten the safety of human health and the environment. It’s all about Lockheed Martin/Sandia and the Department of Energy saving money. 

Sandia Labs is hosting a meeting about their request for no further action and “as-is” closure of the MWL dump on November 18, 2014, from 4:00 to 8:00 at Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center,

501 Elizabeth SE Albuquerque, NM (located between Eubank and Juan Tabo, at the corner of Southern and Elizabeth SE). 

Come early for the press conference.

Call Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn toll free at (800) 219- 6157.  

Demand:

1. A public hearing on this matter.
2. NMED order denial of the Certificate of Completion
3. NMED order Sandia to clean up and safely store the MWL waste.

SANDIA LABS FACT SHEET

• Sandia and the Environment Department have kept a big secret from the public. For decades, Sandia and the Environment Department told the public that only low level radioactive mixed waste was put into the Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL). It was a big lie. Radioactive waste in the dump is from the Nevada Test Site, the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown, Kwajalein atomic bomb tests, Kirtland AFB and commercial nuclear reactor meltdown tests performed at Sandia.

• During the 1970s and 80s dozens of commercial nuclear fuel meltdown experiments were conducted in Sandia’s ACRR nuclear reactor. The meltdown experiments were conducted under various acronyms such as STAR, TRAN, EEOS, DF, FD and Debris Bed. The public was never informed of the names of these experiments and that high level radioactive waste from the experiments was disposed of in the MWL dump. Sandia claimed that only low level mixed waste was in the MWL and the Environment Department gave permission to leave the waste under a dirt cover.

• The fresh and irradiated fuel for the meltdown experiments came from around the world. The fuel was put into canisters and subjected to extreme temperatures that melted and puddled inside the canisters placed in the core of the ACRR reactor. Some fuel was so hot that it vaporized and plated the inside of the canisters. Some of the extremely radioactive canisters also contained highly corrosive metallic sodium and were placed into pits into the classified area of the MWL. Some canisters were put into small diameter holes drilled into the bottom of the MWL trenches. Other canisters were cut up in a Hot Cell Facility creating cross-contamination of the canisters along with further wastes that were dumped into trenches and pits in cardboard boxes, plastic bags, and drums that are breaking up and corroding in the dump.

• Sandia is required to perform a 5-year review for the feasibility of excavating these dangerous wastes. But Sandia and the Environment Department cut a secret, closed door deal to postpone any review for excavation for 9 years. While a lawsuit is pending about the delay, Sandia filed a request, which the Environment Department intends to approve, so that Sandia will never to do any cleanup of the wastes. 

• The Environment Department knows further that the groundwater monitoring network at the dump has been defective at all times up to the present so that contamination isn’t detected.