Moved to Houston a couple months ago to be closer to work and a bike trail which happens to be the 4 mile Westland Branch which I rode almost every day.
Just minutes before my ride I saw WPXI covered a story about a fracking waste site that lines about a half mile of the trail just after it splits from the regular Montour trail, going south toward Westland. I figure a lot of folks probably don't use this branch because it kind of goes to the middle of nowhere, but I didn't see any reference to this story on reddit.
A journalist from Rolling Stone brought several scientists and former government environmental officials to survey and test the area for radiation contamination as is commonly found with fracking waste.
They found readings for radium at rates thousands of times higher than what the federal government would consider a Superfund waste site. The highest concentrations within the rusting and flaking pipes that handled waste fracking fluid.
There was a story released a month ago of a mother who lost her son to a rare bone cancer who also lived in the area, several other students at a local Canonsburg high school were diagnosed since 2019. (non-paywall version of Rolling Stone story)
This facility is protected only by a 4 foot chain link fence with several gaps that might allow kids to get in and play in the waste. There are no radiation warning signs, nor no trespassing signs to warn of the potential danger. The waste is not secure.
While it's obvious you shouldn't enter private property, the other issue is this flaking rust eventually blows around and contaminates ground soil. On a windy day blowing from the west, dust clouds will frequently blow up along and across the trail, I've certainly inhaled it before.
Wanted to share the story with the cycling community here around Pittsburgh to make folks aware. The PA DEP claims no action is needed and declined to do soil samples.
We need to hold these companies accountable for securing what is as dangerous as nuclear waste just strewn about our recreational opportunities in the area.
I lived in Greene County for years and saw entire lakes disappear at the cost of residents for some corporation to continue operating a couple more years.