Utah firm begins Starmet cleanup
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This material is being taken by truck to Utah for disposal, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, which expects the removal of the uranium products to be completed in six months.
After this phase of the work is finished, another contractor will assess the extent of contamination at the site.
According to a draft proposal by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the complete cleanup of the site could last for another four years.
Two months ago, the Department of Environmental Protection awarded an $8.3 million contract to Envirocare of Utah Inc., based in Salt Lake City. The Army has agreed to pick up the tab. From 1970 to 1999, Starmet's predecessor company, Nuclear Metals Inc., produced uranium-tipped bullets for the Army.
The uranium removal was to have begun last March, and had been scheduled to be completed seven months later, but negotiations with the Army over costs delayed the work and the timetable.
Concord officials and leaders of a local activist group hailed last Wednesday's start of the process.
''DEP has been very open about what's going to occur, and this looks like it will be a good, safe project," said Pam Rockwell, a member of the 2229 Main Street Oversight Committee, made up of town officials and residents. Starmet is located at 2229 Main St.
Rick Oleson, president of the Citizens Research and Environmental Watch group, said in a written statement, ''It took four years, but through the cooperation of local, state, and federal agencies, this unlicensed storage of tons of uranium was resolved in favor of the public safety." Oleson said. ''Now we can move on to clean up the entire place."
The group has a $50,000 technical assistance grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency. In June 2001, the Starmet site was placed on the Superfund list of the most contaminated properties.
After the Utah company removes containers of low-level radioactive material from Starmet buildings, another contractor, de maximis inc. of Windsor, Conn., will examine those buildings.
Bruce Thompson, project manager for de maximis, said that the extent of the contamination can be determined only after all the barrels have been removed.
His firm is evaluating air, soil, and ground water for the Army and four other parties cited by the EPA in 2003 for contaminating the property. The others are the US Department of Energy, Whittaker Corp. of Simi Valley, Calif., 
