Sealing Settling Ponds

Honeywell’s uranium conversion plant in Metropolis, Illinois is going through some difficult labor disputes, but those may pale in comparison to local challenges to the company’s plan to close and seal four settling ponds. The company plans to seal the waste in a specialized concrete mixture, then cap with additional fill, a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL), a geomembrane, a surface drainage system, and a protective soil cover. Local residents fear it is not enough.