FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2002

 Contact: Josh Freed
(202) 225-4431
 
DENVER, CO – U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) joined other federal, state and local officials, community leaders, and neighborhood residents on December 7 at the Evans St. Light Rail Station in Denver to launch the final stage of the cleanup at the Denver Shattuck Superfund Site.

The Shattuck Chemical Company left possibly tainted ground water around the site after it facility was closed in 1984. Since the shutdown, the remaining decomposing waste at the site has created a potentially dangerous buildup of contaminants that have been characterized as a threat to human health and environment. Rep. DeGette has been working with community, state, and federal officials since 1997 to have low-level radioactive waste and other contaminants removed from the site.

"The removal of waste from the Shattuck cleanup marks an exciting chapter in the revitalization of Overland Park area," said Rep. DeGette. "The journey it took all of us to get to this point is a living example of what a caring community, concerned about its future, and public officials, putting the past aside, can accomplish in finding a solution for the betterment of the citizens. Shattuck truly was a collaborative and cooperative effort that was focused on what was best for the health, safety, and environment for this neighborhood and our great city."

The EPA formalized the decision to remove the low-level radioactive waste to a disposal site outside of Colorado in the summer of 2000. The cleanup will include the removal of the monolith and adjacent buildings at the Shattuck site and appropriate mitigation of any groundwater contamination.

"This is victory for the Overland Park residents, community activists and everyone in Denver and is a tribute to years of hard work. We need to work together to make sure that adequate funding continues to be available for the cleanup of the Shattuck site and similar sites in Colorado and throughout the country," concluded Rep. DeGette.

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