Radioactive waste is coming to Wayne County, officials express disapproval

WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - About 4,000 gallons of radioactive groundwater and 6,000 cubic yards of radioactive waste are coming to Wayne County from the Manhattan Project in New York.

And the decision has caught officials by surprise.

"We were all shocked and quite disappointed and pretty much enraged that, again, we’re having toxic waste go through the streets of Wayne County," said Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell on Tuesday.

In 2023, hazardous chemicals from a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio were shipped to Wayne County.

Now, radioactive waste left over from the 1942-1945 Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb during World War II, is coming from the Niagara Falls Storage Site in Lewiston, New York to the Wayne Disposal facility in Van Buren Township – just off I-94.

Around 25 semi-trucks a week will dump the radioactive material off through January 2025.

Wayne Disposal in Van Buren Township, owned by Republic Services.

The decision was approved by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – blindsiding Michigan and Wayne County officials.

"We were not given advanced notice but have contacted all relevant authorities," said U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell on X. "This facility is licensed at both the federal & state level & must adhere to strict regulations to ensure the community is protected."

An EGLE spokesperson told FOX 2 that the radioactivity in the waste is so low, it could go to any Class 2 landfill. But the U.S. Corps of Engineers wants to dispose of the material conservatively, and take it to a facility that can handle this type of waste.

And the closest location just happens to be in Wayne County.

"The material from the Niagara Falls Storage Site is within the permitted guidelines and will be managed safely, responsibly and in compliance with all local, state and federal regulations," according to a statement from Republic Services, who owns Wayne Disposal.

Bell said she is outraged by the decision and is searching for solutions.

"Of course no one wants that in their backyard, we get that," Bell said. "But we have to look at a place that makes it a little bit more reasonable than the highest populated county in the state."

The Wayne County Commission is hosting a special hearing with EGLE next Tuesday to see what can be done, if anything.

"The material must be tested by the state before being deposited as further assurance for residents," Dingell said on X.