Site 7 Bradshaw

Site 7 – Bradshaw

Bradshaw was a toxic waste dump for many years. Pesticides and heavy metals from refining and plating processes were stored there for a fee and it was a state regulated facility. Over the time it was forgotten and used illegally. Finally in 2000 the state closed the site, pumped it out and treated the contaminants, and pumped them back into the silo and filled it with a mixture of dirt and fly ash. A 6” concrete cap was poured over the top of the silo. Several silo owners, myself included, attended two public meetings sponsored by the State of Texas regarding how to manage the toxic waste and how best to dispose of it or treat it.

No salvaging of equipment artifacts was permitted prior to remediation.  The silo itself had the complete structure in it. There are photos of several people who gained access to it when it was abandoned standing on level 2. The LCC was rumored to be complete and intact as well. But it too was filled in as part of the environmental clean-up process. There were no original outbuildings on this site.

When the environmental people were finished, they simply pushed the overhead silo doors – which they had opened – closed. The doors bounced. Unfortunately, that video is not available. 

The ground water levels around the silo were fairly deep and so no contaminants were reported to have leached into the ground water, which was a major concern at the time. The silo itself was apparently dry – or would have been if not for the liquid waste stored in it. It may have been the one of the best preserved sites in the Dyess group. We will never know.