Bulldozers puncture drums of toxic waste at Alkali Lake, Oregon

In the late 1960's, a chemical company made Agent Orange and decided to park the manufacturing waste in the middle of the Oregon desert. 25,000, 55 gallon barrels full of toxic waste were placed at Alkali Lake, left to evaporate into the air and leak onto the desert floor. By the time the Oregon DEQ took control of the site in 1976, 50% of the contents had already leaked out. The agency chose to deal with it by bulldozing the barrels into 12 unlined trenches, burying it and putting a fence around it. This video shows that. Footage from the Oregon Historical Society Moving Image Archives, KOIN News Collection, 1976.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Alkali Lake
• Oregon Desert
• Agent Orange
• toxic waste
• bulldoze

[craglawcenter]

Today, the site is contaminated with dioxins, phenols and furans. DEQ's mismanagement continues as they propose to "clean up" the site by monitoring it for 20 years and putting a cap over the trenches. They propose to let the company responsible off the hook, making the people of Oregon pay the cost. It is unfair for the people of Oregon to be responsible for these costs and an adequate understanding of the fate and transport of these persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals is needed!

[craglawcenter]

Learn more about where to comment by searching online for DEQ press releases, July 30, 2009, and DEQ, Land Quality, Environmental Clean Up, Alkali Lake.

[HGpyroweapons]

kill that bastard

[theevsta]

human beings are sometimes so disgusting.....a cancer of the earth

[illusion466]

wow, that is acctually really really really bad stuff right there =X

[maplemanz]

this how they did things back in theOLD DAYS pre 1980's

[BLIDKIN]

A local told me that much of the toxins have blown out of the site and are in the sand dunes along Highway 395. For those traveling this route, it might be wise not to stop for a walk in the pretty dunes. There are no warning signs posted, just as there aren't any on Alkali Lake until you reach the perimeter fence of the old contamination trenches/earthen mounds. If you hang around long enough you will note that the prevailing winds carry the dust out of the pit, toward the dunes -- beware.

[jojokerus]

I wonder how old the bulldozer drivers were when this was filmed and what their health history was after the job.

[j10stretch]

WOW!!! But think how much this goes on that we don't know about now.... sadly money gives you the freedom to do whatever!!!