Feasibility Study for the Niagara Falls Storage Site (NFSS), Lewiston Township, Niagara County, NY

Project Description: Performed a data gaps analysis and prepared the Feasibility Study (FS) for the Balance of Plant and Groundwater Operable Units at the NFSS. The NFSS is a 191-acre site used by the Manhattan Engineer District for the storage of radioactive uranium ore residues generated through the processing of uranium ore for the development of the atomic bomb. During the 1940s and 1950s, the MED and its successor, the Atomic Energy Commission, brought various radioactive wastes and uranium processing byproducts to the NFSS for storage.

• Review of analytical data for all environmental media, buildings, structures; evaluated the nature and extent of the contamination and identified potential data gaps
• Established 100 square meter grid across the BOP to designate radionuclide Remediation Areas established on the Sum of Ratios (SOR) scores within these grid lines, based on the decay chain modeled exposure over time
• Developed radiological cleanup goals in accordance with ARAR 10 CFR Part 40, Appendix A, Criterion 6(6) allow for the development of decay chain related maximum peak values over 1,000 years that are equivalent to radium
• Assessed surface water drainage systems and soil/sediment analytical chemistry data to evaluate potential discharge of groundwater via seeps to the surface water systems, thereby creating a potential pathway for exposure to human health and the environment
• Delineated potential contaminant transport in groundwater and potential of discharge to surface water drainage systems
• Developed RAOs with media-specific goals considering contaminants, exposure pathways, and risk to human health or ecological receptors
• Identified and screened potential treatment and disposal technologies
• Evaluated process options for each technology type, screened the process options based on effectiveness, implementability, and relative cost; provided the final selection of a representative process option for each technology type
• Completed comparative analysis of alternatives for the basis for selection of the preferred alternative