A report from a University of Pittsburgh public health graduate student has found lingering information gaps and distrust surrounding the Army Corps of Engineers’ planned cleanup of the Parks Township nuclear waste dump.

“There is a very intense fear around the site, and people have stuck to that,” said Ariana Scott, a Leechburg native who will graduate in May after successfully defending her thesis on the remediation. “It’s been decades, so they have a lot of work to do to change this community perception.”

Though perhaps less reliable than a professionally led study (Scott had oversight from Pitt faculty and data analysts), her research suggests some residents in and around Parks Township are uninformed about the history and promised future of the 44-acre site in the township’s Kiskimere neighborhood.

In the 1960s and early ’70s, the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corp. (NUMEC) buried 10 trenches’ worth of radioactive waste at the site, known by federal agencies as the Shallow Land Disposal Area.

By modern standards, it was an incredibly risky way for NUMEC to rid itself of enriched uranium, contaminated clothing and other harmful materials.

Of the 90 people who made it at least 60% through Scott’s survey, 57% said they didn’t know which government entity oversees the site.

A staggering 86% could not recall receiving official information on the project, and 69% said they weren’t confident in the safety of a government cleanup.

The survey was open between June and August to anyone who lived within a 5-mile radius of the dump. An outsize number of respondents came from Scott’s hometown of Leechburg, and only 13 self-identified as Parks Township residents, possibly explaining some of the information gaps.

Scott also conducted in-depth interviews with seven people.

Congress gave the Army Corps the responsibility of remediating the site in 2002. The agency’s first attempt, in 2011, was halted after it found evidence of severe safety violations by its contractor at the time.

Since then, it has held semi-­annual public information sessions, recalibrating its outreach and the structure of these sessions over time.

In addition, said Army Corps spokeswoman Carol Vernon, “we have contacted local elected officials, increased our social media presence about the project, worked with local first responders and utilized flyers in five communities (Parks Township, Apollo, Hyde Park, Oklahoma Borough and Vandergrift) to inform residents of upcoming public meetings.”

Vernon said the Army Corps also will continue to use mailers to advertise these meetings and stick with its updated format, where residents can interact directly with officials and engage in longer question-and-answer sessions.

“All of these are efforts to improve the quality of our information and increase the residents’ understanding of the project,” she added.

One of Scott’s most notable findings was unfounded and, in some cases, outlandish beliefs held by respondents. One interviewee expressed concern that terrorists could steal uranium from the site to concoct a bomb. Others spoke of whole missiles buried on site.

“With all of these unproven claims, I was surprised by how little the Army Corps of Engineers was addressing those,” Scott said. “By merely addressing the hearsay, it will not only change the community’s perception, you might be able to build some trust.”

Vernon did not directly address the terrorist fears or missiles claim in her email.

Scott also encountered a perception that weekly air and annual groundwater testing, which the Army Corps says has not produced any concerning results, signals danger, rather than a proactive approach.

“These efforts protect both the on-site workers and the surrounding community,” Vernon said. “A dedicated (Army Corps) team, including industrial hygienists, health physicists, chemists, safety and health officers and engineers, coordinates closely with onsite workers to maintain safety related to (Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program) materials.”

Parks Township Supervisor Scott Kifer blamed local residents for their ignorance, to a certain extent. He would like to see the Army Corps hold more meetings, but he’s not sure how much of a difference it would make, because the same people usually show up.

He also encouraged the Army Corps to get ahead of community fears, rather than waiting for them to arise at these meetings.

“Terrorists breaking in and stealing uranium to me is just asinine,” he said. “However, there are concerns that aren’t conspiracy theories … that they could address. But once again, they answer every question that people ask them in the meetings.”

Township Supervisor Mary Ralston declined to comment, citing what she said are factual errors in the study.

The Army Corps is targeting this fall to start the remediation after a slight delay caused by harsh winter weather.

Several structures have gone up in recent months, including a lab, wastewater treatment plant and materials processing building. Progress is underway on the first excavation building and waste processing facility.

All unearthed materials will be tested with radiological instruments and ultimately taken to a permanent disposal facility in Utah.

Remediation is expected to take about seven years and cost more than half a billion dollars.

The next information session is set for 6:30 p.m. June 5 at the Parks Township Volunteer Fire Department, 1119 Dalmation Drive. Residents from all communities are invited to attend.