The Corps of Engineers recently completed a Feasibility Study Addendum for the Seaway Site, which incorporates the results from additional field sampling conducted at the site in 2001. The Feasibility Study Addendum develops and evaluates the alternatives for addressing the FUSRAP material at the site that are outlined in the Proposed Plan.

The Corps released the Proposed Plan for the Seaway Site for public review and comment on August 27, 2008. The Proposed Plan details the Preferred Alternative for remediation of the Seaway Site. A final decision on the Seaway Site will not be made until after all public comments have been considered. The 90-day public comment period on the Proposed Plan began on August 27, 2008, and closes on November 28, 2008. The presentation regarding the Proposed Plan given at the public comment meeting held on September 24, 2008, is available in the Documents section below.

If you wish to submit your written comments on the Proposed Plan by mail, they should be postmarked by November 28, 2008, and sent to the:

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
FUSRAP Team
1776 Niagara Street
Buffalo, N.Y. 14207

Electronic comments sent to fusrap@usace.army.mil before close of business November 28, 2008, will also be accepted. Please place Seaway PP Comments in the subject line.

The Proposed Plan and a fact sheet for the Seaway Site are available by clicking the links in the Documents section below.

About the Seaway Site

The Seaway Site, located in Tonawanda, New York, was operated as a landfill from 1930 to 1993, accepting a variety of municipal, commercial, construction, and industrial wastes. Nearby, in the 1940s, the former Linde Air Products Division of Union Carbide processed uranium ores under contract to the Manhattan Engineer District (MED). The mill tailings from the FUSRAP-related activities were transported from the Linde Site to the former Haist Property, now known as the Ashland 1 Site. During the mid-1970's, Ashland Oil constructed oil tanks on the Ashland 1 property. During the construction, materials containing radioactive residues were removed from the area and transported by Ashland Oil to the Seaway landfill and what is now the Ashland 2 Site and used as cover or grading material. This material was placed in what is now known as Seaway Areas A, B and C.

During the Corps' remediation efforts at Ashland 1, FUSRAP-related materials at elevated concentrations were found that appear to go onto the Seaway Site. At one location, elevated concentrations may extend under the capped portion of the landfill. Remediation of this material as part of the Ashland 1 remediation ceased at the site boundary. This area is referred to as Seaway Southside. There is also an area on the north side of Seaway near Area A where, during Ashland 2 Site remediation efforts, elevated concentrations of FUSRAP-related materials were found outside of the Seaway containment system (i.e., outside the area encompassed by the landfill's leachate collection system). This area is referred to as Seaway Northside. Both Seaway Southside and Seaway Northside are now included within the scope of the FUSRAP remediation activities for the Seaway Site.

The Corps of Engineers has been working at the site in accordance with the phased process required in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Corps of Engineers is currently preparing a Feasibility Study Addendum for the Seaway Site, which incorporates the results from additional field sampling conducted in 2001. The Feasibility Study Addendum will develop and evaluate alternatives for addressing the FUSRAP material at the site, and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2007.

News Releases

Oct 22, 2008	Corps of Engineers Extends Comment Period on Seaway FUSRAP Site Proposed Plan
Oct 16, 2008	Comment Period Closing Soon for the Seaway FUSRAP Site Proposed Plan
Sep 12, 2008	Public Meeting for Seaway FUSRAP Site to be Held September 24th
Aug 27, 2008	Proposed Plan Released for Seaway FUSRAP Site, Public Meeting to be Held
Feb 19, 1999	Ashland 2 Site Nearing Completion, Public Information Session to be Held

Photos

No photos available at this time.

Documents

Fact Sheets:

Seaway Site Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (Aug 2008)

Seaway Site Proposed Plan Fact Sheet (Aug 2008)

Reports:

Seaway Proposed Plan Public Presentation (Sep 2008)
     Transcript of Proposed Plan Public Meeting (Sep 2008)

Seaway Site Proposed Plan (Apr 2008)

Seaway Site Feasibility Study Addendum (Apr 2008)

Seaway Site Designation Letter (Jun 1984)

(All document files are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.)

The Administrative Record File for the Seaway Site is located at:

Tonawanda Public Library
333 Main Street
Tonawanda, NY 14150

Links

• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation