Hello from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District:
We are pleased to announce the completion of the cleanup of soil within the undeveloped zone of the former Lake Ontario Ordnance Works (LOOW). Over 8,500 tons of contaminated soil were removed from a 1.3-acre area within the southwestern portion of the 304-acre Occidental Chemical Corporation Property (OCCP) and disposed of off-site. The excavated soil was contaminated with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and lead.
Completion of this project benefits both human health and the environment. The outcome of this effort is a clean and restored parcel that will continue to function as a wetland area. Contaminated soil was removed to a condition that allows for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure of the property in regards to Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites (DERP-FUDS) contaminants.
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. 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 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 Occidental Chemical Corporation Property, please visit
http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Missions/HTRW/DERP-FUDS/Lake-Ontario-Ordnance-Works (the LOOW project website).
Sincerely,
Arleen K. Kreusch, APR
Outreach Program Specialist
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District
Special Projects Branch, Environmental Project Management Team
1776 Niagara Street
Buffalo, New York 14207
1-800-833-6390 (Option 4)