Site is the 103rd to transfer to LM for long-term stewardship
May 31, 2024
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) marked another milestone today, when the 103rd legacy site was added to its program. The transfer of the Tonawanda, New York, Landfill Site from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo District to LM reflects DOE’s sustained progress in managing the responsibilities associated with the legacy of the Manhattan Project and World War II.
"The transfer of the Tonawanda, New York, Landfill Site is another special moment for us at LM," said LM Director Carmelo Melendez. "Our program continues to grow and show our commitment to protecting human health and the environment in communities that made sacrifices for this nation during a critical period in our history.”
Located in Erie County, New York, the 170-acre Tonawanda Landfill site is a vicinity property of the Tonawanda, New York, Site in the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) portfolio of DOE sites. The land is owned by the Town of Tonawanda.
The landfill was originally used for depositing neighborhood yard waste and debris in the 1920s and early 1930s. In the later 1930s, it became the town’s landfill, receiving construction and demolition debris, incinerator ash, and sludge from the adjacent wastewater treatment plant and incinerator. Between 1942 and 1946, the Manhattan Engineer District contracted with the nearby Linde Ceramics Company (now Praxair) to produce uranium oxides and salts. Tailings from this work was placed into several nearby landfills, including the Tonawanda landfill.
Aerial surveys performed in 1979 and 1984 in the area showed radiological anomalies. In the early 1990s, DOE investigated the results and ultimately determined the Tonawanda landfill was radiologically contaminated. In 1992, DOE added the Tonawanda Landfill to FUSRAP. Congress transferred site cleanup actions under FUSRAP to USACE in 1997. USACE completed cleanup of the Tonawanda Landfill site in 2020 and released the Site Closeout Report in March 2022. USACE completed two years of operation and maintenance activities before transferring the site to LM for long-term stewardship in May 2024.
LM’s long-term stewardship for the site will include an annual desktop review to ensure land use protects the remedy, responses to stakeholder inquiries, records management, and long-term periodic reviews that involve a site inspection and report every five years to monitor for protectiveness.
"The cleanup efforts at Tonawanda Landfill are the result of collaboration between federal and local agencies, local governments, and the surrounding communities," said LM Site Manager Kathleen Whysner. "We value our partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District, and the engagement we have had during the transition process with the Town of Tonawanda and the neighboring City of Tonawanda. We have a shared responsibility to the communities that supported and sacrificed for our nation’s defense."
LM was established in 2003, when Congress mandated that DOE provide a long-term solution to the nation's World War II and Cold War environmental waste legacy.
LM expects to oversee 106 sites by the end of 2025 and 112 by 2026.