BUFFALO - The first survey unit at the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Linde Site was backfilled with crushed stone today, thus initiating the restoration phase of activities at the site.

"Removal of radiological materials exceeding the cleanup standards at the site are 80 percent complete," said Raymond L. Pilon, Project Manager at the Linde Site. "Filling the holes where we excavated contaminated soil is a sign that we are making progress and that remedial work is coming to an end. This is a big day for us."

FUSRAP, a program initiated by Congress in 1974 and assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1997, addresses low-level residual radioactive contamination that is left over from the nation's early atomic energy program. The FUSRAP Linde Site, which is currently occupied by Praxair, Inc., is located in the Town of Tonawanda at 175 East Park Drive. Between 1942 and 1946, the former Linde Air Product Division of Union Carbide processed uranium ores under contract for the Manhattan Engineer District (MED). MED activities resulted in elevated radionuclide levels in portions of the Linde property. Several interim removal actions have been completed, including demolition and decontamination of a number of buildings, and the site poses no risk to human health and the environment given its current use.

The Record of Decision for the soils at the Linde Site was signed in March 2000 and the first train carrying contaminated soil to licensed disposal facilities out of state left the site in September 2000. Pilon estimates soils remedial action will be complete in 2004.

A survey unit is a specific area where the Corps has confirmed that remedial action in the area was successful in meeting the requirements identified in the Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD is a document that identifies the selected remedy for a site that meets all applicable laws and guidelines and is protective of human health and the environment and outlines the rationale of why the remedy was selected. It is available for public viewing at the Administrative Record File, which is located at the Tonawanda Public Library (330 Main Street, Tonawanda) and the FUSRAP Public Information Center (1776 Niagara Street, Buffalo). The Administrative Record file holds all documents that are part of the decision making process for a site.

Final Status Survey Unit 011 is the first area to begin restoration. The unit is on the north side of Building 90, which is located in the central north portion of the site. The Corps' primary contractor, IT Corporation, started excavation at the former Linde site in August 2000.

To date, 95,300 tons of contaminated material have left the Linde site and 985 days have been worked without a lost time accident.