U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases feasibility study report for the former Harshaw Chemical Company site

Hello from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District

The Corps of Engineers has released the feasibility study report for the former Harshaw Chemical Company Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Site, which is now available on the Buffalo District website at http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/missions/htrw/fusrap/harshawsite.aspx.

The feasibility study and the documents supporting the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process for the site are located in the Administrative Record File for the former Harshaw Chemical Company Site, which is available for review in the Cuyahoga County Library, Brooklyn Branch, 4480 Ridge Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144, and the Cleveland Public Library, 325 Superior Avenue, N.E., Cleveland, Ohio 44114.

This feasibility study is a product of the Corps of Engineers' environmental response conducted under the authority of FUSRAP for which the Corps is the lead federal agency. The feasibility study evaluates potential remedial alternatives that address unacceptable risks to human health and the environment due to the presence of FUSRAP-related contamination. The Corps of Engineers conducts FUSRAP projects in accordance with the governing federal law - CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. § 9601 et. seq., as amended, and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, 40 CFR 300.

The former Harshaw Chemical Company, located at 1000 Harvard Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, was contracted by the Manhattan Engineer District and later the Atomic Energy Commission to support the nation's early atomic weapons program.  From 1944 to 1959, various forms of uranium were processed at the Harshaw Site and sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for further processing. The 55-acre former Harshaw Chemical Company Site was included in FUSRAP in spring 2001 for further characterization of FUSRAP-related contaminants.

Now that the feasibility study is complete, the next step for the project is to develop a proposed plan. The proposed plan will analyze the remedial alternatives discussed in the feasibility study and the Corps of Engineers will present the preferred alternative. The public will be notified of the availability of the proposed plan and associated public comment period. Lastly, a record of decision will be issued selecting the remedy to be implemented. The record of decision will include a written response to comments received on the proposed plan.

Sincerely,

Arleen K. Kreusch, APR

Outreach Program Specialist
Special Projects Branch
Environmental Project Management Team
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
1776 Niagara Street
Buffalo, NY 14207
1-800-833-6390 (Option 4)

REF: 

• Harshaw Site Fact Sheet (Dec 2012)
• Harshaw Site (main site for all lists and links to project documents)