Uranium-contaminated site collapses into Detroit River

A Detroit property contaminated with uranium and other dangerous chemicals partially collapsed into the Detroit River on Nov. 26, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has confirmed.

The news is especially concerning because the Detroit drinking water intake lines are nearby downriver.

Located next to Historic Fort Wayne and leased by Detroit Bulk Storage, the site known as the Detroit Dock allegedly collapsed under the weight of large aggregate piles that were stored at the site during Thanksgiving weekend.

The property has been listed by the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency as a contaminated site due to its use of uranium and other dangerous chemicals during manufacturing dating to the 1940s, according to the Windsor Star, which first reported the incident.

Located at 5851 West Jefferson, the property formerly was a Revere Copper and Brass site. Revere Copper was subcontracted in the 1940s to build the world’s first atomic bomb and continued to make uranium rods in the 1950s.

The site has faced scrutiny regarding safety hazards and who would be held responsible for its cleanup.

According to a 2011 evaluation study by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the property, at that time there was a “potential … for significant residual radiation.” […]

Full article with video: Uranium-contaminated site collapses into Detroit River