Ward Valley Nuclear Dump

* Hey there, Sen. Bennett Johnston, just a darn minute. If you’re so anxious to get the nuclear waste dump established in California’s Ward Valley, I suggest you might be able to get it done a lot faster in your own state of Louisiana. (Oct. 24) where you have a lot of political muscle.

Be sure, however, that you pick a site 19 miles from the Mississippi River, which may have hydrological pathways from the site into the river and with possibilities for long-term migration of radionuclides to that great waterway. Furthermore, it would be a good idea to provide for dumping the waste into unlined trenches in unstable containers. Don’t bother with adequate monitoring systems or remediation plans. In the interest of moving more rapidly you might even want to rely on a proposed operator who has had a shoddy record of performance in operating its dumps in other states. That way you will know that you can have the security of the Superfund ultimately taking over because the operator’s insured liability is laughably inadequate. The taxpayers, of course, are always there to pick up the tab.

Finally, don’t bother with a public hearing. You can avoid pre-hearing discovery or public examination of the record of the operator and all questions which experts might want to raise (like those who work for the U.S. Geological Survey or consultants like those hired by the Metropolitan Water District). You can even avoid questioning the potential hazard to your drinking water supply.

If you follow my advice, you can get your radioactive waste dump going soon and you can take the waste not only from your state but four or five states around you.

S. DELL SCOTT

Encino

Scott is a former member of the MWD board.

* I was confused by your editorial on the Ward Valley disposal site (Oct. 25). You raise the alarm because the site is “a mere 20 miles away” from the Colorado River. For crying out loud, isn’t 20 miles an adequate distance? Are you saying that the residents of Pasadena need to worry about fuel storage at LAX 20 miles away? Do underground storage tanks in San Fernando pose a threat to people in Santa Monica, 20 miles away? I looked at the slow rate at which ground water might flow toward the Colorado River. It would take well over 300 years for this water to travel a “mere” 20 miles.

As an environmental scientist, I just cannot accept your arguments. Your editorial seems just another litany of excuses to once again do nothing to solve a waste disposal problem. We all benefit from the uses of radiation in industry and medicine. Yet with the benefits comes the price of properly disposing of the wastes that are generated. Let’s get on with solving this problem instead of looking for more ways to procrastinate.

JOEL I. CEHN

Oakland

* The solution to our problem is to bury the radioactive waste in Gov. Pete Wilson’s and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt’s back yards! Unfortunately that does not solve our problem because radioactive waste once spread in our underground water supply has no borders.

The real solution is to lower or neutralize the radioactive waste to safe levels where it can be handled without any danger. This process has been accomplished and demonstrated to both the U.S. Department of Energy and the state Department of Health Services Radiologic Health Branch in 1992.

The truth is nobody wants to solve the problem, just cover it up!

DAVID K. ENNIS

Ontario