If you live in Chesterfield, Baldwin, Wildwood, or south of interstate 64, you’re in the warm zone. If you live nearer to the West Lake Landfill you are in the hot zone. Franklin County? Cold.
Warm Zone, Hot Zone . . . these are terms that Matt LaVanchy, Assistant Fire Chief and County HAZMAT Coordinator used to describe the degree of risk for radiation contamination. The message Matt hammered home is that no one living in St. Louis City, St. Louis County or even St. Charles County is risk-free when it comes to the dangers posed by the radioactive contamination at the West Lake Landfill in Maryland Heights (basically at the corner of North 141 and Interstate 70.
If you were not at the West County Democrats meeting on Monday, March 12, 2018, you missed probably one of the most important educational sessions of the last twelve months. LaVanchy and Harvey Ferdman, Chair of the West Lake Landfill Advisory Group, weaved together a gripping narrative of corporate negligence, government bureaucracy, and “Weldon Springs level” radiation contamination and exposure…for decades. Listening to the history of this 70 year old issue will make your head hurt and your heart break. To catch up, view the documentary “Atomic Homefront” which can be seen now on HBO. Watch it tonight.
Supporting LaVanchy and Ferdman were two representatives from the communities adjacent to the 
landfill, Dawn Chapman and Karen Nickel, Co-Founders of JUST MOMS STL, a grass roots group focused on achieving a safe and permanent solution for this site. These are homeowners who live within one mile of the landfill (which, by the way, is owned and managed by Republic Waste, a corporation more interested in “smoothing over” the problem than solving it). JUST MOMS STL manages the Facebook page WEST LAKE LANDFILL that has over 40,000 followers. Ms. Chapman, Ms. Nickels, and Mr. Ferdman have been advocating with local, state, and federal legislators and agencies on behalf of our community since learning about the landfill in 2011.
To get more information about this critical mass issue that effects everyone in the St. Louis Metro area you can attend an information meeting on March 15th (that’s this Thursday) of JUST MOM STL at the John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 12567 Natural Bridge Rd., Bridgeton, MO. 63044. Information can also be found at Facebook pages JUST MOMS STL & WEST LAKE LANDFILL, or on Twitter @justmomsstl.
Submitted by Mark Kumming, WCD Member