PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — Nuclear activists are sounding alarms, accusing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) of a potential cover-up as workers continue to excavate around the highly controversial Little Beaver Creek. The site once believed to be a quiet rural waterway, has become a hotbed of radioactive contamination, drawing ire from local residents and environmental advocates alike.
New testing and scientific reports spanning three decades have revealed alarming levels of radiation in the creek, which flows near the defunct Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. For years, the DOE has maintained that radiation levels are “within acceptable limits,” but activists have long challenged the official narrative, pointing to a growing body of evidence that tells a far more troubling story.
In 1992, Vina Colley, a local environmental activist and co-founder of Piketon/Portsmouth Residents for Environmental Safety and Security (PRESS), first blew the whistle on contamination in the creek. PRESS uncovered the presence of enriched uranium, as well as traces of plutonium—the most dangerous element on earth—in the water and aquatic life. This discovery launched decades of activism, as residents demanded transparency and accountability for what they believed to be widespread contamination across Pike County.
“We demand that signs are posted stating the contamination and that DOE is transparent to what they are doing,” said Gina Doyle, head of the local activist group Don’t Dump On Us. “The public deserves an answer.” Doyle and Colley have called for radioactive signs to be added along Little Beaver Creek and Big Beaver Creek.
A Mysterious Pipe and Blue Liquid
In 2023, a Guardian investigative journalist made a startling discovery while visiting the creek near Wakefield Mound Road: a large pipe, protruding from the creek bank, oozing a mysterious blue liquid into the water. The eerie sight was immediately reported to the Ohio EPA, raising questions about the source of the discharge and what exactly was seeping into Little Beaver Creek.
This wasn’t the first time that such strange occurrences were noted. In a 2012 EPA complaint filed by a local resident, similar observations were made of a blue film coating the creek’s surface. The persistence of the issue over more than a decade has only fueled activists’ concerns that the contamination is being ignored—or worse, deliberately concealed.
Accusations of a Cover-Up
For many in the community, the latest developments have confirmed their long-held suspicions that the DOE may be engaged in a cover-up. Recent images from the site show a fenced-off work area with heavy equipment digging near the creek—disturbingly close to where activists have been sounding the alarm for years. The timing of the excavation has raised red flags, as it comes on the heels of a damning scientific study that was first broken by the Guardian earlier this year.
Dr. Michael Ketterer, a prominent scientist known for his work in environmental chemistry, released a groundbreaking report showing that plants in Pike County are radioactive, with many of his soil and water samples drawn from the very area now being dug up. Activists fear that the sudden excavation efforts are an attempt to erase evidence of radioactive contamination before it can be scrutinized further. It must be noted that the Guardian has found no documents showing that the work being performed is directly connected to the former gaseous diffusion plant, or that the work being done is from DOE or their contractors.
“We Warned Them for Decades”
For decades, local residents and activists have been sounding the alarm, demanding that proper signage be posted around the creek to warn people of the dangers of radioactive contamination. Their pleas, however, have largely fallen on deaf ears. Despite multiple reports and mounting evidence of contamination, no such warnings have been issued, leaving the public in the dark about the potential risks.
The DOE’s own documents acknowledge the presence of radioactive isotopes in the creek, yet they continue to downplay the severity, insisting that the levels pose no significant risk. But for activists like Colley, these reassurances ring hollow.
“The government has known about this for years, and yet they’ve done nothing to protect the people who live here,” Colley said. “Instead of addressing the contamination, they’re more interested in covering it up.”
A Crisis of Trust
The timing of the ongoing excavation—mere months after Dr. Ketterer’s report—has left many residents feeling betrayed. The apparent lack of urgency from state and federal agencies to properly investigate and remedy the contamination only adds to the community’s distrust.
As work continues at Little Beaver Creek, activists and local residents are calling for an immediate halt to the excavation until independent investigators can assess the site. Meanwhile, the DOE’s handling of the situation will remain under intense scrutiny.
“This is no longer just an environmental issue—it’s a matter of public trust,” said one activist. “And right now, that trust is all but gone.”
The battle over Little Beaver Creek is far from over, and as more information comes to light, the calls for accountability are only growing louder. To date, no official statement has been issued regarding the work being performed along the creek.
The Guardian will continue to monitor this developing story.