TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) - US Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) is trying to get the US Army Corps of Engineers to move a little quicker when it comes to compiling options for the cleanup of radioactive wastes from the Tonawanda Landfill.
"They were supposed to complete this work by the end of 2104. It is now 2015," said Schumer during a morning press conference attended by upset residents, as well as, City and Town of Tonawanda Officials.
The nuclear wastes are leftovers from the World War II Manhattan Project that developed the world's first atomic bomb. They were discovered by a Department of Energy survey of the 55-acre Tonawanda Landfill in 1991.
A survey in 2010 determined the radioactive wastes could pose a problem if exposed due to soil erosion, something many residents who live near the landfill already feel is happening during rain and snowfall.
"The water can move the nuclear wastes right into the backyards, right into the neighborhood, and right into the school," added Joyce Hogenkamp, president of Citizens United for Justice.
Riverview Elementary School in the City of Tonawanda is located very close to the area where the wastes are buried under approximately two-feet of soil.
"Our kids are outside playing. It is not fair to them," commented Hogenkamp.
The US Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District Commander Lt. Col. Karl D. Jansen responded to the criticism:
"The Corps of Engineers appreciates Sen. Schumer's interest and focus on the Tonawanda Landfill. We are committed, within the limits of our authority and funding, to work towards a solution that is protective of human health and the environment, technically sound, environmentally sustainable and economically justified."
The Army Corps of Engineers says it plans to release it feasibility study and project plan later this Spring 2015.
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