1985-09-01 News – Low-level radioactive dump discovered at George AFB

Victorville — The existence of a low-level radioactive waste dump near Victorville and the Mojave River was revealed Friday after a telephone tip from an off-road vehicle enthusiast.

The dump was apparently unknown to local and county officials, but might be on a state water board list.

The approximately one-acre unfenced site is located within the extreme southern boundary of George Air Force Base [the Southeast Disposal Area (SEDA)], a few hundred yards from the Victorville city limits and about one and one-half miles from the Mojave River.

A small flood ravine runs along an edge of the site and eventually reaches the Mojave River near Turner and Shay roads, the general area of George Air Force Base wells and a planned well site for Adelanto.

Signs at the site warn of possible danger from radioactive waste, but they are broken and lying on the ground.  The general area is routinely used by motorcyclists, said the informant who called the Dais Press after discovering the site.

A George Air Force Base official confirmed Friday the dump is an old military repository for low-level radioactive waste. “It’s ours,” said public information officer Capt. Michael Olson.  “It’s a former disposal site for low-level radioactive material,”

The Air Force, he said, “doesn’t  know what’s in it.  It could (contain) anything from watch dials to cathode ray tubes out of X-ray machines.”

The George site, Olson said, was used as a waste repository until about 1970. Though he didn’t know how long it has been there, it has been tested for surface radioactivity, and none has been found, he said. …

This document was OCRed and may contain errors.
Please see the origonal PDF: Low-level radioactive dump discovered at George AFB

The last two statements are patently false.

See: 1979-xx-xx Sabol – Radioactive Waste Investigation Southeast Disposal Area (SEDA)