Date: April 18, 2007
Source: News Room
Senator Clinton Calls on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Reassess the Potential Human Health Hazard Posed by the Uranium, Radium, and Thorium Waste at the Tonawanda Landfill Site
Urges Corps to Ensure the Thorough Remediation of the Tonawanda Landfill Property and Vicinity
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a new assessment of the Tonawanda Landfill under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) to ensure that the remnants of radioactive materials in vicinity of the property are not hazardous to residents. As part of its FUSRAP program, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has worked to assess the health risks associated with the radionuclide waste in the landfill and concluded the levels to be within acceptable U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. However, in a letter today to the Buffalo District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Senator Clinton emphasized that the Tonawanda area has been impacted by a legacy of FUSRAP sites in their community and the health concerns due to these sites contaminated with the remnants of Manhattan Engineer District (MED) materials deserve to be answered. Senator Clinton said that it was imperative that the Corps reassess its conclusion that the Uranium, Radium, and Thorium waste at the site are unconnected to the Linde site or other MED activities and ensure proper remediation action. The Senator urged the USACE to respond to the needs of the community and their concerns for the future health and safety of their children.
"The close proximity of homes and Riverview Elementary School makes the comprehensive remediation of the Tonawanda Landfill Vicinity Property absolutely essential to insuring the health and safety of Tonawanda residents. The Corps must verify that radioactive materials have not migrated through the soil or the groundwater outside of the Landfill Vicinity Property," said Senator Clinton "I am deeply concerned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would neglect to survey these neighborhoods and allow these materials to migrate into the backyards and homes of Tonawanda. The cooperation and expertise of the Corps will provide the community with critical information to better assess the future of this land."
[A copy of Senator Clinton's letter is below]
Lieutenant Colonel (EN) John S. Hurley, P.E.
District Commander
Department of the Army
Buffalo District, Corps of Engineers
1776 Niagara Street
Buffalo, New York 14207
RE: The Town of Tonawanda Landfill Vicinity Property
Dear Colonel Hurley:
I write in regard to the United States Army Corps of Engineers work at the Tonawanda Landfill under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
The people of Tonawanda have suffered enough as a result of the remnants of Manhattan Engineer District (MED) materials and other manufacturing wastes, which have left a legacy of FUSRAP sites in their community. They deserve to know with absolute certainty that it is safe for them to live and work in their own community, and for their children to play in their own backyards. Unfortunately, the Corps' proposed cleanup plan does not provide these assurances, and I ask that you make a number of improvements to the plan.
First, to ensure that proper remediation action is taken, it is imperative that the Corps reassess its conclusion that the Uranium, Radium, and Thorium waste at this site are unconnected to the Linde site or other MED activities.
Second, the plan should include an expanded Human Health Risk Assessment. In light of proposed recreational use of this land after site remediation is complete, I strongly urge the Corps to work with City and State officials to ensure that the Tonawanda Landfill Vicinity Property is completely surveyed and that the most stringent federal standards are applied in assessing the human health risk posed by the materials present at this site to the residents and children of Tonawanda. In addition, because the landfill is in close proximity to more than 700 residential homes as well as the Riverview Elementary School, the Corps should conduct sampling on neighboring properties to ensure that these families are not at risk. The Corps must verify that radioactive materials have not migrated through soils or hydrology outside of the Landfill Vicinity Property and into the backyards and homes of Tonawanda.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
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