The US Navy buried thousands of barrels of tar in the ground where tar has been seen seeping out of the ground during construction work near Keflavík International Airport. The large amount of tar and waste metal that came out of the ground surprised the contractor and town authorities alike, even though the waste had been documented in an environmental report made by town officials sixteen years ago.
The waste was discovered during road works a couple of week ago in preparation for construction on a new commercial zone on the outskirts of the town of Keflavík on the Reykjanes peninsula. The site is believed to have been a waste dump for the US Navy from the time it operated an air station at Keflavík airport for decades following the Korean War.
Report written by a committee led by the current mayor
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV now reveals that town authorities should have known about the waste dump. In an environmental report done in 2001 and headed by the current town mayor, it was reported that thousands of barrels of tar were buried in the ground at the site. The US Navy had run service stations there and in addition to the tar, oil and solvents could likely be found in the ground.
Read more: Photos: Toxic dump from US Navy halts road works near Keflavik Airport
In his defense, the mayor says that approval for the construction had already been given long before he came into power. He had not been aware of how the town responded to the finding in his report at the time. Since becoming mayor, he has had other matters to attend to.
Town officials say there are no carcinogens in the tar and that it will be cleaned up before construction continues.
The US Navy buried thousands of barrels of tar in the ground where tar has been seen seeping out of the ground during construction work near Keflavík International Airport. The large amount of tar and waste metal that came out of the ground surprised the contractor and town authorities alike, even though the waste had been documented in an environmental report made by town officials sixteen years ago.
The waste was discovered during road works a couple of week ago in preparation for construction on a new commercial zone on the outskirts of the town of Keflavík on the Reykjanes peninsula. The site is believed to have been a waste dump for the US Navy from the time it operated an air station at Keflavík airport for decades following the Korean War.
Report written by a committee led by the current mayor
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV now reveals that town authorities should have known about the waste dump. In an environmental report done in 2001 and headed by the current town mayor, it was reported that thousands of barrels of tar were buried in the ground at the site. The US Navy had run service stations there and in addition to the tar, oil and solvents could likely be found in the ground.
Read more: Photos: Toxic dump from US Navy halts road works near Keflavik Airport
In his defense, the mayor says that approval for the construction had already been given long before he came into power. He had not been aware of how the town responded to the finding in his report at the time. Since becoming mayor, he has had other matters to attend to.
Town officials say there are no carcinogens in the tar and that it will be cleaned up before construction continues.
