Prep work for removal of Manhattan Era radioactive waste begins in Lewiston

BUFFALO, N.Y (WIVB) -- Contractors are prepping federally owned land in Lewiston to begin removing radioactive waste leftover from the top-secret Manhattan Project to develop the world's first atomic bomb.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Avery Schneider said the first of three phases is set to begin at the end of this month on the 191-acre site off Pletcher Road, known as the Niagara Falls Containment Site.

The first phase involves the removal of low-level radioactive waste and other contaminants in soil and groundwater, which will cost about $40 million.

Roughly 6,000 cubic yards of soil - the same as 3,797 king-sized mattresses - will be removed. In addition, contractors say they will remove 4,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater.

The waste is wrapped and contained in bags that resemble large burritos, and are then delivered to a landfill in Michigan.

Schneider said air monitoring at the site will continue through all three phases. In addition, all trucks are decontaminated and checked for radioactive levels before leaving the property. The trucks take a special route that avoids schools and Native American reservation land.

The second and third phases involve removal of additional low-level radioactive waste, and the more dangerous higher-level waste in the interim waste containment structure underneath a large hill on the property.

All phases are expected to be finished by 2038, at a cost of at least $500 million.