Grace has been asked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help address low-level, residual radioactive material on our site left behind by U.S. government operations in the 1950s. We are committed to working hand-in-hand with USACE and the local community to ensure all project activities are done in a timely manner and with consideration for the community.
For more information, visit the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website.
Situation
- From 1956-1957, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission contracted Grace to extract radioactive metal from a mineral ore.
- Since then, as a result of those activities, there is a low level of residual radiological activity in parts of the Curtis Bay property, including part of one building, the soil beneath it, and a waste disposal area. All these areas have been restricted to only specially trained personnel since the 1990s, even as the facility continues to operate.
- In 1984, the U.S. Department of Energy added the property to the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), a United States Army Corps of Engineers project to manage and cleanup environmental contamination that resulted from early United States Atomic Energy Commission activities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) leads this effort.
- Activity has been ongoing since 1999 to sample, test, document and coordinate the clean-up, with multiple opportunities for evaluation, public comment and alternative plans and remediations.
- In late September 2024, USACE took an additional series of soil samples as part of this program.
- USACE and Grace are coordinating planning and logistics for eventual removal activities.
FUSRAP & USACE
- FUSRAP was established in 1974 to identify and decontaminate sites with low-level radioactive material left over from the Atomic Energy Commission (which existed from 1946-1974)
- There are nearly 50 FUSRAP sites across the U.S. including in urban areas like Pittsburgh and Denver.
- The Corps conducts its work in accordance with federal laws, following the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan.
- Cleanup activities are coordinated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and/or state regulators.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
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Parts of a building, some equipment in the building, the soil beneath it and the soil in a waste disposal area have been identified as having residual, low levels of radioactivity left behind by government operations in the 1950s.
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The material being remediated at Curtis Bay does not present an immediate public health threat. Removal and remediation efforts will permit the areas to be usable into the future.
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The building structure and equipment must be deconstructed and removed in compliance with certain laws, following specific processes and procedures to protect the health and safety of all workers and potential future occupants of the space. This takes careful planning to ensure it is done correctly and safely and we are working with USACE to ensure all project activities are done in this manner.
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The soil must be removed in compliance with specific laws, following certain processes and procedures, to protect the health and safety of all workers and potential future occupants of the space. This takes careful planning to ensure it is done correctly and safely and we are working with USACE to ensure all project activities are done in this manner.
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The work on the property should not affect the community in any way.
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All of the soil samples will be put into specially designed and sealed waste transport containers on rail cars designed to take the material from Curtis Bay to a landfill permitted for and prepared to manage this kind of waste.
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Sampling on the property over the decades has shown that the material has not migrated to the bay or groundwater. To prevent any releases during removal of the materials, a variety of dust control procedures and water run off controls will be implemented in accordance with regulations and with oversight by the USACE. In addition to the specially designed and sealed waste transport containers, the train cars for the removal are designed to carry low level radioactive waste and are reinforced to protect against spills in the event of a collision.