LUCKEY, Ohio — A recent 105-page laboratory report analyzing groundwater samples from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Luckey Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) site has confirmed what residents feared and regulators continue to downplay: uranium is still showing up in drinking water.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commissioned the report, prepared by GEL Laboratories, LLC, and dated May 30, 2025. It analyzed samples collected earlier that month, and while the results don’t violate federal maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), the presence of uranium, along with elevated levels of heavy metals, paints a deeply concerning picture of lingering contamination from the site’s Cold War-era legacy.

A Contaminated History

The Luckey site, located in Wood County, Ohio, was used by the federal government in the 1940s and 1950s for beryllium production and uranium processing under contract with the Atomic Energy Commission. Waste from these operations, including uranium, thorium, and beryllium, was disposed of on site, contaminating soil and groundwater. Cleanup efforts under FUSRAP began in the 1990s, but the presence of radioactive and chemical residues decades later raises serious questions about the adequacy and completeness of remediation.

Uranium Detected in Four Samples

Uranium was detected in four groundwater samples:

• Sample S02-PV2: 0.358 µg/L

• Sample S03-PL: 2.45 µg/L

• Sample S07-LL: 0.279 µg/L

• Sample S10-BP: 0.143 µg/L

These levels fall below the EPA’s MCL for uranium in drinking water (30 µg/L). However, the recurring presence across multiple locations reflects persistent subsurface mobility of radioactive materials. This is not consistent with the notion of a fully remediated site.

Regulatory Safety Limits: Scientifically Inadequate

EPA’s MCLs are not safety guarantees; they are policy compromises based on short-term exposure models. They do not account for the reality of lifelong, cumulative ingestion of radionuclides, especially in legacy-contaminated communities like Luckey. Chronic low-dose exposure, particularly in children and vulnerable populations, may contribute to kidney damage, cancer, developmental impairment, and neurotoxicity.

The 2025 report also documented elevated levels of several metals, including:

• Manganese: up to 6.16 µg/L

• Iron: up to 476 µg/L

• Nickel: up to 3.05 µg/L

• Zinc: up to 45.8 µg/L

• Sodium: up to 189,000 µg/L (189 mg/L)

These contaminants may not exceed individual federal limits, but their combined toxic burden and potential for bioaccumulation in humans are not factored into EPA risk models. No provision is made for the compounded effects of heavy metals interacting with radiological contaminants in real-world exposure scenarios.

Data Integrity Undermined by Lab Flags

The GEL report contains multiple quality control flags that weaken the reliability of the findings:

• Mercury was detected in field blanks, compromising those results.

• Several results were qualified with "J," "U," and "B" codes, indicating estimated or uncertain values.

• Numerous samples required dilution due to matrix interference or exceeded instrument limits.

Despite these limitations, the report was certified under the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP), which allows significant latitude in interpreting marginal or non-detect results as acceptable.

Government Accountability Missing

Although the DOE considers the site under long-term stewardship, the detection of uranium in groundwater decades after declared remediation should trigger immediate public concern. Yet the Ohio EPA has not issued public notices, advisories, or direct communication to residents living near the site.

The lack of public engagement, transparency, and updated toxicological modeling leaves affected communities unprotected. In the absence of clear federal or state action, Luckey residents remain exposed to the legacy of Cold War nuclear weapons production without adequate safeguards.