Trending Now - Massive Nuclear Waste Site in Armstrong County to Be Excavated

WHO:

CBS News - Col. Nicholas Melin, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District

CBS News - Steve Brown, a local resident of Parks Township, Armstrong County

WHAT:

CBS News - The federal government will begin the cleanup of a nuclear waste dump in Armstrong County.

CBS News - The project is estimated to cost half a billion dollars.

CBS News - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin active remediation of the site.

CBS News - Over $400 million has been invested in the cleanup project.

CBS News - The cleanup process will take place over the next six to eight years.

CBS News - Hundreds of 55-gallon drums containing radioactive waste are buried in 10 trenches at the site.

WHERE:

CBS News - The nuclear waste dump is located outside Apollo in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.

CBS News - Contaminated materials will be transported to Wampum in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, before being shipped to Utah for permanent storage.

WHEN:

CBS News - The cleanup project will begin in the week of April 14th, 2026.

CBS News - The cleanup process is expected to last six to eight years.

WHY:

CBS News - The cleanup is a response to decades of cancer cases and public outcry regarding the nuclear waste site.

CBS News - The site was used for dumping radioactive waste from the Cold War era.

HOW:

CBS News - The cleanup will involve removing 6-inch layers of contaminated soil, which will be tested for radioactivity and packaged in fabric containers.

CBS News - Special backhoes will be used to skim the top layer of soil.

CBS News - Trucks will transport containers of waste to Wampum, where they will be shipped by rail to Utah for permanent storage.

CBS News - The site will have three layers of protection: enclosures over the trenches, on-site air monitors, and an on-site water treatment plant to clean groundwater.

(UPDATED April 15, 2026 15:23 UTC)

The federal government is set to begin the cleanup of a nuclear waste dump located outside Apollo in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, with the project kicking off in the week of on Tuesday, and expected to last six to eight years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will oversee the remediation, which involves removing contaminated soil and transporting hazardous materials to Wampum before they are sent to Utah for permanent storage, all at an estimated cost of half a billion dollars. This initiative comes in response to decades of cancer cases and public concern regarding the site, which has hundreds of buried 55-gallon drums containing radioactive waste from the Cold War era.