Cleanup of Contaminated Site in Luckey, OH Set To Begin Next Year

Portage Inc., a Idaho-based contractor, has been selected to handle the cleanup of a 40 acre site located in Luckey, OH that is currently contaminated with radiological contaminants (radium, uranium, thorium), and chemical contaminants (beryllium, and lead). Both soil and ground water are contaminated.

The cleanup is set to begin next year as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), initiated in 1974 to identify, investigate, and clean up or control sites through the U.S. that had became contaminated from early atomic weapons and energy programs throughout the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. The program was transferred from the Energy Department to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in October 1997. The site was the location of a beryllium production facility between 1949 and 1958 by Brush Wellman, previously the Brush Beryllium Company, which was under contract by the Atomic Energy Commission. The waste and sludge from the beryllium production operations were stored in on-site lagoons, while liquid wastes were released in Toussaint Creek. Between 1951 & 1952, the site procured 1,000 tons of radiologically contaminated scrap steel meant to be used to produce magnesium. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers believes this is the source of the radiological contamination.

The Corps Buffalo District's October 2016 news release states, "Sampling required before cleanup begins will be conducted during the next few months, while infrastructure setup will be during Spring 2017. Cleanup of FUSRAP-contaminated site soils will follow." Portage Inc. already has an office set up in the Luckey area and is working closely with the Wood County Emergency Management Agency and Troy Township Fire Department on emergency plans. The worst case scenario likely being a fire around the site, causing smoke filled with radioactive particles to rise and spread radiation throughout the area and possibly much further away.

(Article by Derick Battle)

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