Radioactive Waste Shipments from Niagara Falls Site Delayed by Court Order

Efforts to transport radioactive waste from a long-standing federal cleanup site in Niagara County have come to a standstill due to legal action in another state. Although the removal of low-level radioactive material began at the Niagara Falls Storage Site (NFSS) in Lewiston last summer, plans to ship the waste have been put on indefinite hold.

The 191-acre site, which once served as part of the Lake Ontario Ordnance Works (LOOW), holds over 250,000 cubic yards of radioactive remnants dating back to the World War II-era Manhattan Project.

Excavation began in August 2024 with contractors preparing to move an initial 4,500 cubic yards of the material.

However, just weeks later, a Michigan judge halted all shipments bound for the Wayne Disposal facility in Van Buren Township. The court’s injunction followed strong opposition from local officials and residents concerned about health and environmental risks.

The Michigan site is one of five designated disposal locations approved for waste from the NFSS. Despite the delay, crews in Niagara County are continuing to secure and monitor the excavated material in compliance with safety protocols.

The radioactive contents - primarily uranium, radium, and thorium - have been stabilized and stored as they await authorization to transport.

The waste currently being managed falls under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, a federal initiative aimed at cleaning up contamination from early atomic energy research. According to site officials, the waste being excavated as part of Phase 1 is categorized as low-level and poses minimal health risk to the public.

In addition to waste removal, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo District is continuing its environmental review of the broader LOOW property. Originally constructed as a TNT manufacturing plant during World War II, the site was later repurposed for radioactive storage.

Now spanning approximately 7,500 acres, the LOOW property is under federal review through the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites.

Recent assessments conducted by USACE have found no significant hazards in several areas of the site.

Radioactive Waste Shipments From Niagara Falls Site Delayed by Court Order