In the case of the alleged plan to conceal vital information about radioactive material leaks at the low level nuclear waste dump in Barnwell County, conservationists are holding the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control solely responsible for the misdeeds. At a news conference Thursday, the Conservation Voters of South Carolina condemned DHEC for failing to disclose records that reveal “alarmingly high” radioactivity in the groundwater at the site and other data detailing serious pollution concerns.

“DHEC’s general reluctance to offer pertinent information raises larger questions about whether the agency is adequately notifying both the public and policymakers about the state of South Carolina’s environment,” Conservation Voters director Ann Timberlake said Wednesday.

Maps showing elevated tritium levels in more than 30 groundwater monitoring wells were not made public until after lawmakers debated the bill to keep the landfill open to the nation, records show.

The maps, obtained by The State newspaper under the Freedom of Information Act, show some tritium levels in groundwater were hundreds of times higher than a federal safe drinking water standard. The pollution also had been detected in about a dozen wells below the landfill’s boundary, the newspaper reported Aug. 19. The maps from 2004 and 2006 had previously been sealed from public view — at the request of Energy Solutions because the company said it contained “proprietary’’ information. [SAMMY FRETWELL - The State]

The Palmetto Scoop reported last month that Attorney General Henry McMaster was considering launching an inquiry into whether or not high radioactive pollution levels at the site were intentionally concealed from state legislators deliberating the future of the facility. McMaster also reportedly summoned DHEC and Chem-Nuclear officials and lobbyists in an effort to receive an explanation for any and all wrongdoings.