Seaway Industrial Park

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Seaway Industrial Park, one of the four Tonawanda Site properties, is located in an industrial area in Tonawanda, New York, approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) northwest of Buffalo. The Seaway property is a 38- hectare (93­acre) industrial landfill owned by the Seaway Industrial Development Company and operated by Browning­Ferris Industries. The property is bordered on the north by River Road, on the east and south by a Niagara Mohawk Power Company easement, on the southwest by Ashland 1, and on the west by United Oil refinery property. See Ashland 1 for site map.

FACILITY MISSION

In 1974, Ashland Oil constructed bermed areas on the Ashland 1 property to hold two petroleum tanks. Some of the 4,600 cubic meters (6,000 cubic yards) of soil removed during construction of the bermed area and drainage ditch contained low-level radioactive materials. Ashland Oil deposited some of this material in three areas of the landfill at Seaway. A fourth area on the southeastern edge of the property is contiguous with the radioactive material on Ashland 1. Investigations found residues in this location that were probably spread inadvertently across the Ashland 1 property line during the soil­moving operations at Ashland 1.

The residues from the American uranium ores processed at Linde were the source of residual radioactivity at the Seaway property. The primary constituents of concern are uranium­238, radium­226, and thorium­230.

The radioactive material poses minimal risk to the public because its gamma dose rate is very low and access to the site is restricted.

FUTURE USE

The Seaway property is currently a closed industrial landfill owned by Seaway Industrial Park Development Company, Inc. This estimate assumes that it will remain in this state for the life cycle.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

Remedial Investigation activities completed in 1989 indicated that 89,500 cubic meters (117,000 cubic yards) of soil contain residual radioactivity above guidelines. The Department of Energy drafted a Remedial Investigation Report, a Feasibility Study/Environmental Impact Statement, and a proposed plan for the Tonawanda Site, which includes the Seaway property. The proposed alternative for Seaway includes removal of two areas of soil containing radioactive constituents and subsequent disposal at a waste containment structure to be constructed at one of the Tonawanda Site properties; however, this plan encountered local opposition, and the Department of Energy is discussing alternatives with the community. This cost estimate assumes that Ashland 1 will be used as the site for construction of a waste containment structure. The Department will adjust the estimate appropriately when another alternative is selected.

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 radioactive contamination at Seaway originated from the disposal of domestic ore filter cake at Ashland 1 and subsequent excavation, transportation, and disposal at Seaway. The primary constituents of interest are uranium, thorium-230, and radium-226. Investigations have identified radioactive contamination in four areas (Areas A-D) at Seaway. Area A is primarily on the Seaway property but also extends north via a drainage ditch onto the Niagara Mohawk property.

A radiological survey conducted in 1976 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory indicated that radioactive residues onsite were primarily distributed over Area A and extended to a depth of less than 0.6 meters (two feet) in most places. In Areas B and C, the contamination is covered by up to 12 meters (40 feet) of landfill materials. The radioactive contamination in Area D is contiguous with the contamination identified at Ashland 1. The depth of contamination varies from 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches).

REMEDIAL ACTION

The Department of Energy has not yet conducted any remedial action at Seaway. The estimated total waste volume at Seaway is 89,500 cubic meters (117,000 cubic yards). The scenario used for the Baseline Environmental Management Report cost estimate assumes excavation of 60,000 cubic meters (78,000 cubic yards) of soil containing radioactive residues, leaving 30,000 cubic meters (39,000 cubic yards) in situ. This estimate assumes that the radioactive material in Areas B and C was will be left in place since it is under 12 meters (40 feet) of refuse and a clay closure cap; the industrial hazard posed by excavating this waste would be greater than the radiological hazard of leaving it in place.

The cost estimate assumes that disposal of excavated soil from Seaway, as well as from other Tonawanda Site properties, will be at Ashland 1. The Seaway property will be released for restricted use, and long­term surveillance and maintenance by the Department of Energy will not be required. Although this disposal option, which was set forth in the proposed plan issued in November 1993, was used in establishing a cost estimate, the Department of Energy acknowledges that the community did not agree with that plan and is currently discussing alternatives with the community. The Department will adjust the cost estimate appropriately when a remedy is selected. The cost for current protective cleanup options for the Tonawanda Site properties ranges from $24 million to $329 million, depending on the final location of the material and the type of disposal.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following table presents estimated funding information for Seaway Industrial Park.