Ashland 2

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Ashland 2, one of the four Tonawanda Site properties, is located at 4545 River Road in the Town of Tonawanda, New York, approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) northwest of Buffalo. The property occupies approximately 47 hectares (115 acres) and is bordered by privately and publicly owned undeveloped property, which is primarily vacant and overgrown with grass and brush. See Ashland 1 for site map.

FACILITY MISSION

From 1957 to 1982, Ashland Oil used a portion of the Ashland 2 property as a landfill for disposal of general plant refuse and industrial and chemical byproducts. Ashland Oil closed the landfill in 1982 and covered it with two feet of clay. The source of radioactive constituents at Ashland 2 was residues from uranium separation processes conducted at the nearby Linde Center during the 1940s. The waste was disposed of at Ashland 1 and later transported to landfills at Ashland 2 and Seaway. Between 1974 and 1982, Ashland Oil transported an unknown quantity of soil mixed with radioactive residues from Ashland 1 to an area east of the Ashland 2 landfill.

The primary constituents of concern are uranium­238, radium­226, and thorium­230. The radioactive constituents at Ashland 2 pose minimal risks to the public because the gamma dose rate from the material is very low and access to the site is restricted. Ashland Petroleum Company is not currently conducting commercial operations at Ashland 2.

FUTURE USE

Ashland Petroleum Company currently owns Ashland 2. The company has not determined its future use after site remediation. Because the site is near the Niagara River, the local community has included it in a waterfront development master plan that identifies the area for use in commercial and light industrial development. This cost estimate adopts the master plan assumption of Industrial/Commercial use.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

The Department of Energy has not conducted any remedial action at Ashland 2. Remedial investigation activities conducted in 1989 indicate that a total of 40,000 cubic meters (52,000 cubic yards) of soil contains residual low­level radioactivity above guidelines.

Ashland 1, Ashland 2, Seaway Industrial Park, and Linde Air Products are included in the Tonawanda Site integrated environmental documentation process to comply with requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Key regulators are Environmental Protection Agency Region II and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

ASSESSMENT

The Department conducted four characterization efforts at Ashland 2 to evaluate radioactive constituents and hydrogeological characteristics. Surface water and soil samples were characterized in 1976 and 1980, respectively. In 1986, a walkover survey of the property was performed, and Engineering-Science conducted the first phase of an investigation of the inactive industrial landfill under contract to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Chemical and radiological analyses were performed on surface water and soil samples from a drainage ditch. In 1988, the second phase of the landfill investigation included hydrogeological characterization of the Ashland area and radiological and chemical characterization of surface water, sediment, and ground water.

The radioactive contamination at Ashland 2 originated from the disposal of the domestic ore filter cake at Ashland 1 and subsequent excavation, transportation, and disposal of the filter cake, which was mixed with soil, at Ashland 2. The primary constituents of interest are uranium, thorium-230, radium-226, and metals present in the filter cake (aluminum, calcium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and vanadium). Analytical results of the soil investigation at Ashland 2 indicated that the Manhattan Engineer District­related radionuclides and associated metals were generally confined to the area between the two primary drainage ditches (the two branches of Rattlesnake Creek) and the access road; investigations detected minor amounts along the floodplains of the drainage ditches. The maximum depth of radioactive contamination at Ashland 2 is 2.7 meters (9 feet), in the area between the two drainage ditches. Smaller areas located throughout the property have shallower contamination, typically 0.15 to 1.5 meters (0.5 to 5 feet). The highest concentrations occur in the center of the large contaminated area, primarily in the top 1.5 meters (5 feet) of soil. Investigations found no hazardous waste.

Ground-water monitoring in 1988 and 1989 revealed no radioactive constituents. Quarterly well inspections and water level measurements are conducted at Ashland 2.

REMEDIAL ACTION

The Department of Energy has not conducted any remedial action at Ashland 2. The scenario used for the Baseline Environmental Management Report cost estimate assumes complete excavation of the contaminated soils and onsite disposal at Ashland 1. The cost estimate assumes that a total waste volume of 40,000 cubic meters (52,000 cubic yards) at Ashland 2 will be transported to the proposed Ashland containment cell. Although this approach, which was originally identified in the proposed plan issued in November 1993, forms the basis of this cost estimate, the Department of Energy acknowledges that the community did not approve that plan and is currently discussing alternatives with the community. The Department will adjust the cost estimate appropriately if an alternate remedy is selected.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following table presents estimated funding information for Ashland 2.