For the second year running, more than 30 attendees from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) logged into WebEx on June 8-9 for a virtual exploration of USACE North Atlantic Division (NAD) Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites.

FUSRAP was established in 1974 to identify and cleanup sites that supported the Manhattan Project during World War II and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission during the Cold War. In 1997, Congress transferred management of FUSRAP to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. USACE is responsible for remediating FUSRAP sites before transferring them to LM for long-term stewardship.

The annual tours strengthen the partnership between LM and USACE by helping to identify new opportunities to leverage each other’s strengths. Information sharing and collaboration ensure an efficient and cost-effective process for transferring sites between the two organizations.

“As you can imagine, there is a ton of data and records associated with the cleanup of one of these sites,” said Justin Gottesman, FUSRAP program manager for USACE’s North Atlantic Division. “These joint meetings and tours allow us to plan not only for the transfer of all the data associated with a site, but also to help inform the Department of Energy on the long-term operations and management requirements for the sites once a transfer occurs.”

Leadership from both organizations attended this year’s tour, including LM Deputy Director Peter O’Konski, USACE FUSRAP National Program Manager Nicki Fatherly, and Gottesman. LM FUSRAP site manager Darina Castillo and LM FUSRAP Program Manager Cliff Carpenter led discussions on the previous year’s collaborations, site transition, and lifecycle budget assumptions for each site.

The sites covered in the NAD tour included the Maywood site (Maywood, New Jersey), the Middlesex Sampling Plant (Middlesex South, New Jersey), Chemours Chambers Works (Deepwater, New Jersey), and W.R. Grace (Curtis Bay, Maryland).

The June 8 session began with the New York District sites. USACE and LM discussed the near-term transfer schedules for active sites. The Maywood site is scheduled to transfer from USACE to LM for long-term surveillance and maintenance (LTS&M) in 2024.The Middlesex Sampling Plant is scheduled to transfer to LM’s LTS&M in 2026.

LM and USACE walked through the transition checklist review for the Maywood site, noting a list of reports, permits, cooperative agreements, and records needed for smooth transition in 2024. The standard two-year transition period for the Maywood site is less than a year away, beginning in 2022, making these discussions about site conditions and records management very timely and ensures there are no lapses in stewardship for the site.

As of the June meeting, the Draft Final Finding of Suitability for Early Transfer (FOSET) for New York District’s Middlesex Sampling Plant site was undergoing LM, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) review. The real property disposition package for the site was submitted to the General Services Administration (GSA) by June 25, a major milestone toward the final disposition of Middlesex Sampling Plant FUSRAP site. A new Department of Public Works Facility for the Borough of Middlesex is anticipated as the future use of the property. While the disposal of some real property may take place prior to site transfer to LM in 2026, the remainder of the site will follow the current programmatic timeline with the two-year transition period for the Middlesex South site scheduled to begin in 2024.

During the June 9 session, LM and USACE discussed progress and updates at the Baltimore District’s W.R. Grace FUSRAP Site, scheduled to transfer to LM in 2030, and the Philadelphia District’s Chemours Chambers Works FUSRAP Site, scheduled to transfer to LM in 2027. Covering the Chemours Chambers Works, USACE presented video and Geographic Information System (GIS) maps to showcase the progress made at the site and near real-time data captured as remediation continues. While transfer of these two sites may seem distant, early collaboration and open discussions, facilitated by meetings like the NAD Tour, are vital to mission success.

Over the two days of virtual tours of the NAD FUSRAP sites, USACE and LM demonstrated the importance of strong communication and close collaboration for mission success. LM Deputy Director Peter O’Konski praised the efforts of the two teams and their application of advanced mapping techniques to the clean-up process. “This is very impressive work that is making a positive impact in restoration of these sites,” O’Konski said. “We all look forward to seeing these projects in person post-pandemic.”