TONAWANDA - The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - Buffalo District will be holding an Information Session for the Ashland 1 Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Site on Wednesday, September 22, 1999 from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Community Room of the Phillip Sheridan Building at 3200 Elmwood Avenue in Kenmore, New York.

Representatives of the Corps will be available to provide information and answer questions in regard to the remedial action at the Ashland 1 Site. The Corps began excavating soil containing low-level radioactive material at the site on June 11, 1999. Approximately 36,000 cubic yards of material above the site-specific guideline of 40 picocuries per gram of Thorium-230 has been excavated to date. The excavated soil is placed in intermodal containers, sealed, and loaded onto railcars for shipment to International Uranium Corporation's White Mesa Mill, located near Blanding, Utah.

The Ashland 1 Site is being remediated in accordance with a Record of Decision signed in April, 1998. Excavation and restoration of the site is scheduled to be complete in three years, pending availability of funds. Surveillance activities and environmental monitoring will continually be in effect throughout the remediation. Protection of the public and site workers is the main focus of this operation.

The Corps will also provide an update on the restoration of the Ashland 2 Site. Comprehensive testing of the site after the excavation and disposal of 45,500 cubic yards of low-level radiologically contaminated soil showed that the cleanup standards outlined in the Record of Decision were met. The site has been backfilled with 25,000 cubic yards of fill material that was graded with a bulldozer to provide proper drainage. Topsoil was spread over the site and a hydroseeder was utilized to restore vegetation. Restoration of the site could be complete this week, weather permitting.