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LOOW
Lake Ontario Ordnance Works Site
In 1942 the Federal Government seized, by eminent domain, 7,500 of prime farm
land in the Towns of Lewiston and Porter. Under the government's ownership
this land was radioactively and chemically contaminated. A portion of that
property still remains under govermnment control. That portion also is the
repository of tons of uranium brought form the Belgian Congo. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers is now charged with the cleanup and resoration of the
remaining contamination.
The former Restoration Advisory Board has developed a great website regarding
the LOOW.
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When: March 24, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Lewiston Senior Center (Pletcher & River Road)
Purpose: Workshop to establish a Restoration Advisory Board
Hello from the U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers Buffalo District,
You are invited to attend a workshop regarding the process for determining the
community's interest in establishing an official Department of Defense (DoD)
Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) for the former Lake Ontario Ordnance Works
(LOOW) Site on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Lewiston
Senior Center, 4361 Lower River Road in Youngstown, NY 14174. The
Department of Energy will also provide information about their current review of
the completed Niagara Falls Storage Site Vicinity Properties.
The agenda is as follows:
6:00 - 6:25 p.m. - Corps presentation regarding DoD RABs
6:25 - 6:45 p.m. - Presentation by the Department of Energy (DOE) regarding
their current DOE activities involving the NFSS Vicinity Properties
6:45 - 7:15 p.m. - Poster session with Corps and DOE availability
7:15 - 8:45 p.m. -
Round table discussion with Corps' team (questions regarding the DOE
presentation will also be addressed during this time)
8:45 - 9:00 p.m. - Team available
We value your input.
Your involvement in our quarterly community workshops over the last two years is
appreciated. In April we will begin the process to determine whether there is
sufficient and sustained interest in the formation of a DoD RAB for LOOW. This
workshop will be an opportunity for us to discuss the pros and cons of having a
Restoration Advisory Board in an open and transparent manner.
For additional information about RABs, please visit the Community Involvement
section of our Web site at:
http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/derpfuds/loow/index.htm#Documents
Comments will be received on the establishment of a DoD RAB until May 8, 2010.
Please send an e-mail to
derpfuds@usace.army.mil
or write to:
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
DERP-FUDS Team
1776 Niagara Street
Buffalo, NY 14207
Sincerely,
Arleen K. Kreusch, APR
Outreach Program Specialist
US Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District
1776 Niagara Street
Buffalo, NY 14207
Phone: 800-833-6390 (Option 4)
Fax: 716-879-6305
Sen. Gillibrand, Sen. Schumer, and Rep. Slaughter opens dialog with U.S.
Army Corps to restore meaningful citizen participation in the LOOW site cleanup
and resoration
Our elected federal officials promised to intervene on behalf of Niagara County
elected officials and residents to force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to
restore the Citizen Restoration Advisory Board (RAB). Over the past several
years the Corps and the RAB worked side-by-side exploring the issues of
radiological and chemical contamination at the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works
(LOOW) site located in the Towns of Lewiston and Porter in the County of
Niagara. This site has been contaminated since the end of WWII. Most recently it
was in the process of developing plans for clean-up of the site; however, after
challenging some of the decisions being made, the RAB was summarily dismissed by
the Corps. As a result, citizen input is now lacking and the community has no
avenue to discuss meaningfully and to influence decisions that affect the lives
of everyone living in Niagara County. In addition the potential for continued
leaking into the Niagara River and Lake Ontario watershed remain.
To resolve the impasse various elected officials held a meeting on March 21,
2009, to discuss action that the community should take. At the meeting were
several Mayors and town Supervisors of the Villages and Towns in Niagara County,
Councilmen, County Legislators, and our NY State Assembly and Senate
Representatives to discuss the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failure to recognize
our on-going RAB. At that meeting local representatives of Sen. Gillibrand, Sen.
Schumer, and Rep. Slaughter promised to immediately intervene on our behalf to
have the RAB restored.
We are pleased that our elected officials have opened dialog with the Corp in
an effort to reestablish meaningful citizen participation in the restoration of
the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works site.
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