Viewers can virtually walk through FUSRAP program and site history decade-by-decade.
August 14, 2023
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The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management has launched an online, interactive Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program display to engage the public with FUSRAP history.
“In fall 2019, when we began work on this historical display, our vision was to tell the fascinating story of not just LM’s and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ legacy of service, but also of the legacy of service of 55 different communities throughout our nation,” LM FUSRAP Program Manager Darina Castillo said. “The interactive display gives stakeholders and the public the opportunity to research and learn about the program from their phone or computer, wherever they may be.”
Titled “FUSRAP: A Legacy of Service,” the display covers the program’s history. FUSRAP sites and communities played a critical role in America’s nuclear history by supporting the USACE Manhattan Project, nuclear weapons development, and experimental peacetime nuclear energy applications to help the nation prevail during World War II and the Cold War.
A predecessor agency to DOE, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission established FUSRAP in 1974 to identify, investigate, and clean up or control sites across the United States that were contaminated during World War II and the Cold War. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers joined the program a little more than a quarter century ago when Congress transferred FUSRAP cleanup from DOE to USACE in 1997. Today under FUSRAP, USACE performs active site remediation before transferring sites to LM for long-term stewardship.
The interactive display's clickable icons expand a map of FUSRAP sites so viewers can dig down into each site to learn about its location, site type, and site status. The interactive display also leads viewers through a decade-by-decade program walkthrough with clickable features that link to additional resources.
“The FUSRAP historical display shows the timeline and evolution of the FUSRAP program, beginning with ‘The Race for the Bomb,’ the U.S. government’s compelling call to action with the creation of the Manhattan Engineer District, most commonly referred to as the Manhattan Project,” Castillo said. “Our hope is that the online interactive display is a unique tool to communicate FUSRAP history and significance in these communities across the nation.”
The online display complements a physical exhibit LM and USACE developed for conferences, meetings, events, and FUSRAP communities.
For more information on the historical display and the interactive version, visit the FUSRAP Historical Display webpage.