radiological · Erie County
Ashland 2 FUSRAP Site
Town of Tonawanda
Former industrial landfill that received radioactive soil excavated from Ashland 1 in 1974; federal cleanup removed more than 52,000 tons of material.
The documented story
What happened here?
Ashland 2 was an industrial landfill used by Ashland Oil for general refuse and industrial and chemical byproducts. In 1974, soil excavated during construction at Ashland 1—including residues derived from Manhattan Project-era uranium processing—was moved to Ashland 2 and the neighboring Seaway property.
The federal FUSRAP remedy removed more than 52,000 tons of contaminated material for off-site disposal. Cleanup was completed in 1999, documented in a 2006 completion report, and transferred to the Department of Energy for long-term stewardship in 2008.
Connected history — construction moved residue to a second landfill
Ashland 2 shows how ordinary earthmoving extended an atomic-waste footprint
52,000+ tonsmaterial removed from Ashland 2 during federal cleanup
Before 1974
The property first served as an industrial landfill
Ashland Oil used part of the property for general plant refuse and industrial and chemical by-products. That existing disposal role explains why excavated material from another property was brought here.
1974
Soil from Ashland 1 carried the Linde connection north
Construction of a drainage ditch and bermed petroleum-tank area at Ashland 1 generated excavated soil containing radioactive residues. Ashland transported portions to Ashland 2 and Seaway for disposal; the documented connection is moved material, not a continuous underground plume.
1998-2008
Removal closed the federal cleanup chapter
A 1998 federal decision selected excavation. More than 52,000 tons were removed from Ashland 2 by 1999, the combined Ashland completion report was issued in 2006, and long-term federal responsibility transferred to the Department of Energy in 2008.
Manhattan Project-derived material: later disposal of contaminated soil moved from Ashland 1
News record
Major news events
Coverage selected here marks a turning point in public awareness, policy, enforcement, employment, or cleanup. Links open at the original publisher or archive; WNYAtlas does not reproduce restricted articles or images.
A cleanup attempt at Ashland 1 creates a second radioactive-waste site
Contaminated soil was moved to Ashland 2 over several years, demonstrating how poorly controlled material transfer expanded the geographic legacy rather than ending it.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ↗Federal closeout shifts the sites to records stewardship
DOE reports the Ashland units meet the selected cleanup standard and require no routine monitoring or maintenance; continued records access and stakeholder response remain the present federal role.
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management ↗Chemical guide
Chemicals named in this record
These links explain potential hazards and exposure pathways. A chemical named in a record does not establish that anyone was exposed or harmed.
Chronology
Timeline
- Industrial landfill era
Ashland Oil used the property for general refuse and industrial and chemical byproducts.
- 1974
Radioactively contaminated soil excavated from Ashland 1 was placed at Ashland 2 and Seaway.
- 1998–1999
A federal cleanup decision was issued and more than 52,000 tons of material were removed off site.
- 2006–2008
USACE completed the closeout report and transferred long-term stewardship to DOE.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- The imported soil contained uranium-series radioactive residues associated with former Linde processing material.
- The property also had a separate history of refuse and industrial and chemical waste disposal.
- Moving Ashland 1 soil in 1974 distributed related material across three distinct sites that require separate records.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- More than 52,000 tons of radiologically contaminated material were excavated and sent to an authorized off-site disposal facility.
- Verification surveys documented compliance with the federal cleanup decision.
- DOE long-term stewardship preserves the cleanup record and any continuing land-use information after USACE closeout.
Then and now
The site today
The FUSRAP cleanup is complete and the site is in federal long-term stewardship. It should be labeled as a remediated radiological site, while acknowledging the property's separate industrial-landfill history and avoiding conflation with Ashland 1 or Seaway.
Atlas connections
Connected places
These collections explain documented material, facility, waterway, ownership, or cleanup relationships. Inclusion does not imply that every place shares one contaminant source or plume.
Tonawanda FUSRAP material network
Uranium-processing residues and related material moved among industrial properties, storage areas, landfills, and vicinity properties in the Town of Tonawanda.
Linde processed uranium ores for the Manhattan Engineer District, creating residues later addressed at multiple Tonawanda properties.
Interim storage propertyAshland 1 / Former Ashland Oil RefineryThe former refinery property received Linde-related residues before portions of the material were moved again.
Related cleanup propertyAshland 2 FUSRAP SiteAshland 2 forms part of the federal Tonawanda FUSRAP cleanup record and its connected material history.
Landfill containment siteSeaway FUSRAP Site / Tonawanda North Unit 3Material moved from Ashland 1 in 1974 became part of the radiological remedy at the Seaway landfill.
Vicinity propertyTonawanda Landfill FUSRAP Vicinity PropertyThe landfill vicinity record tracks qualifying material outside the principal federal cleanup boundaries.
Related disposal propertyNiagara Mohawk–Cherry FarmCherry Farm belongs to the broader Tonawanda record of industrial disposal and radiological investigation.
Radiological-map connection
Place this site in the wider material history
The separate radiological investigation map distinguishes producers, processors, storage, the 100 historical survey records, federal remediation, and current assessment coverage.
Linked research mapOpen the radiological investigation →