The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District is pleased to announce the completion of the cleanup of soil within the undeveloped area of the former Lake Ontario Ordnance Works (LOOW).
Over 8,500 tons of soil, contaminated with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and lead from a 1.3-acre area of a 304-acre parcel, were removed during the cleanup from within the southwestern portion of the Occidental Chemical Corporation Property (OCCP) and disposed of off-site.
“The Buffalo District is proud to have safely delivered this project that benefits both human health and the environment,” said Brent LaSpada, LOOW Project Manager. “The outcome of this effort is a clean and restored site that will continue to function as a wetland area. The Buffalo District appreciates the public's participation in supporting our proposed remediation plan.”
A decision document was approved in June 2017 for the parcel. A contract was awarded for the work in August 2017 and the cleanup began in August 2018. Contaminated soil was removed to a condition that allows for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure of the property in regards to DERP-FUDS contaminants.
The area was backfilled and reseeded with a native wetland seed mix and a non-native winter rye and red clover seed mix (to help establish long-term growth). A final inspection will be performed in a few weeks to determine if regrowth is occurring.
The work was performed under the authority of the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites (DERP-FUDS) in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq. as amended) and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) (40 CFR 300).
The former LOOW is located in the towns of Lewiston and Porter, Niagara County, New York, and was used during World War II as a trinitrotoluene (TNT) manufacturing facility.
For further information on the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works Occidental Chemical Corporation Property, please visit the project website: (http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Missions/HTRW/DERP-FUDS/Lake-Ontario-Ordnance-Works/), send an email to derpfuds@usace.army.mil or call (800) 833-6390 (Option 4).
The administrative record file for LOOW is available electronically for review in the Town of Lewiston Public Library, 305 South Eighth Street, Lewiston, New York; the Youngstown Free Library, 240 Lockport Street, Youngstown, New York; and the Ransomville Free Library, 3733 Ransomville Road, Ransomville, New York.
The administrative record file is also available for review by appointment at the Buffalo District Office Library located at 1776 Niagara Street in Buffalo, New York.