Background

The Painesville, Ohio, 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

In the early 1940s, the Defense Plant Corporation financed construction of a magnesium production facility on property acquired by the federal government. The Diamond Magnesium Company operated the facility under contract to the federal government from 1942 to 1953. Between 1952 and 1953, Diamond Magnesium received about 1,650 tons of radioactively contaminated scrap steel from the Lake Ontario Storage Area (now the Niagara Falls Storage Site) for use in the magnesium production process.

In 1998, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducted a removal action at the site before suspending work due to the onset of winter conditions and discovery that the extent of contamination was greater than anticipated. Additional remediation was conducted from 2006 to 2011, at which time remediation was completed.

Final Conditions

USACE remediated the site under FUSRAP in compliance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. In January 2016, USACE transferred responsibility for long-term stewardship of the Painesville site to LM. No monitoring, maintenance, or site inspections are required by the Painesville site Record of Decision (ROD). 

LM’s long-term surveillance and maintenance responsibilities consist of managing site records, responding to stakeholder inquiries, and performing additional activities that align with LM’s mission to protect human health and the environment.

For more information about the Painesville Site, email FUSRAPinfo@lm.doe.gov.

For more information about the Painesville Site, view the fact sheet.