Background

The Niagara Falls Storage Site Vicinity Properties, New York, 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 operations.

History

Niagara Falls Storage Site Vicinity Properties, located near Lewiston, New York, consists of 26 properties sold to private owners which were formerly part of the U.S. Army’s Lake Ontario Ordnance Works. Another portion of the former ordnance works was transferred to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and became the Niagara Falls Storage Site.

Beginning in 1944, the Manhattan Engineer District stored uranium processing residues, uranium metal, and radiological waste at the former Lake Ontario Ordnance Works. Radiological surveys between 1970 and 1980 indicated that residual contamination remained on vicinity properties and in drainage ditches that exceeded FUSRAP guidelines. Beginning in 1983, DOE remediated most of the vicinity properties to a condition allowing unrestricted use. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will complete remediation of the remaining properties.

Final Conditions

Supplemental limits were applied to the downstream end of a drainage ditch after it was determined residual contamination would pose no risk to members of the public. The New York Department of Health maintains use restrictions on some of the vicinity properties. No other supplemental limits or institutional controls are in effect at the site, and DOE does not require on-site monitoring or surveillance. Office of Legacy Management long-term stewardship responsibilities consist of managing FUSRAP site records and responding to stakeholder inquiries. 

For more information about the Niagara Falls Storage Site Vicinity Properties FUSRAP Site, view the fact sheet.