Background

The Acid/Pueblo Canyon Site was remediated under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). FUSRAP was established in 1974 to remediate sites where radioactive contamination remained from Manhattan Project and early U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) operations.

History

The Acid/Pueblo Canyon Site, owned by Los Alamos County, is in the Pajarito Plateau Region near Los Alamos, New Mexico. Between 1943 and 1964, nuclear weapons activities conducted by the Manhattan Engineer District and AEC resulted in contaminated rock on a cliff face where the effluent from the treatment plant had flowed and contaminated rock, soil, and sediment on the canyon floor.

AEC remediated the contaminated areas in 1966 and 1967. DOE completed additional remediation of the site under FUSRAP in 1982. DOE certified that the site conformed to applicable cleanup criteria in August 1984 and released the affected areas for unrestricted use.

Final Conditions

The Acid/Pueblo Canyon FUSRAP site is near the location of the Los Alamos Nature Center/Pajarito Environmental Education Center, which opened in 2015. The open areas of the site are used by the public for recreational purposes.

For more information about the Acid/Pueblo Canyon FUSRAP Site, view the fact sheet.