Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
When we looked at the next list of 100 problem sites, there were quite a number of them in
our general area. We thought, locationwise, that we would be pretty logical folks to be a
center. So, we put in our pitch for the mission.
At the same time, EPA was really not pushing a very aggressive program. My own view was
that the administration at the time wanted to talk a good game but move out methodically.
They weren't in the business of rapidly addressing all of these problems, but in the business
of not having large budgets and being able to methodically move after them at a slower pace.
The Corps, being a can-do outfit, presented EPA a problem. We were ready to go; we could
execute. It became very apparent that they didn't want us to execute as fast as we were
executing. It was almost like you'd go to a meeting and they'd say, "You're here ready to go
already?" Of course we asked, "Where's your next two projects? Next time, we don't need to
handle them one at a time. Give us three or four. We can clean this up."
We did Chemdyne almost without a hitch, to include bringing people in and handling the
public participation. We told people what was happening and did all the newspaper work.
We did all the right testing and did it all through contracts. We built a platform overlooking
the fence so people could come and watch, take out their binoculars and look into the area
with signs that told what was happening and the procedures. I think we did a pretty fair job of
the whole site cleanup in rather rapid fashion.
I think the Corps--looking at it from the USACE perspective--could have established more
centers, but there wasn't immediate work out there for centers to do. What had been
anticipated as work for two, three, or four centers really was work for one center. Working
through the districts involved in each place could very easily take care of the mission for the
first couple of years.
That's why we didn't get to be a center. The Corp's great enthusiasm for cleaning up the
country's hazardous waste depended upon an EPA program developing to provide us the
work. We weren't in charge of the program; we were only providing a service to a customer,
that being EPA.
Q:
The Missouri River Division in Omaha?
A:
The division in Omaha became the Corps' center for environmental cleanup. They had been
asked to start certain things to begin with, and so they always were a lead. We were always
seeking to be the second. We knew we never could displace the North Central Division. We
were seeking to be the second division and the logical second one to add. Let the Missouri
River Division concentrate westward, and we'd concentrate on the east coast. We thought
that would be an ideal thing. The level of activity didn't develop.
Q:
Of course, the division did carry out construction management for several toxic waste sites
and continued the program.
A:
Yes.
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