Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - While the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has been working in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the last few years on the Niagara and Erie County Radiological Assessment, both agencies say they have significantly surged their resources just in the last month to quickly address a number of issues in areas of concern.
According to DEC commissioner Amanda Lefton, both agencies have screened 726 private properties, whereas just a month ago, they had screened just 23 properties. Over half of those properties - 476 to be exact - have already received notification that no further action is needed. Of the remaining 250 properties, 222 of those are under review by experts across EPA, DEC and the State Department of Health (DOH). Lefton adds a small subset of 30 properties have been referred to the EPA to do a cleanup, or some further investigation to understand whether or not there's something there
"That's over 700 properties screened, more than half of that have already received notifications from us of no further action. But we have found material on 30 different properties, and right now we're making sure that as we move forward, we're doing everything that we can to investigate those further, and support those property owners with any mitigation that's going to be required," said Lefton in an interview with WBEN on Monday.
EPA regional administrator Mike Martucci says of the properties that have been referred to EPA, no two properties are alike, in terms of what they're seeing from screening data.
"Each pathway, as we pursue properties that are referred to us, look very different. Some of them have residence and structures on them, others might be in wooded areas or open fields. Every single situation is very different, so our pathway in terms of how we are managing them is on a property-by-property basis, which is the way that we're conducting the evaluation," said Martucci with WBEN.
He adds that same property-by-property approach is also the way officials inform cleanup.
"Unlike other contamination sites that we traditionally deal with - both of these agencies around the state and around the country - contamination is not uniform. Each property profile is very differently, which means that the way that we clean up the properties will be very different," Martucci explained. "We expect that some properties could be remediated by removing relatively small amounts of soil, those cleanups could happen in a few week period. There are likely other properties that will involve more extensive cleanups that could encompass a few months."
State Health commissioner Dr. James McDonald says officials aren't seeing health effects just yet for the properties that have seen high amounts of radiation exposure.
"Keep in mind, we have our experts there, helping with EPA and DEC to assess what is the radiation exposure, and then what is the likelihood there would be a health effect. So really, this is about preventing adverse health outcomes, and really to prevent adverse health effects," said McDonald with WBEN. "That's why the Department of Health has health physicists, radiation health experts, toxicologists, and our medical staff working with EPA Health as well, just to make sure we understand who's at risk. And this helps inform what should happen with the homeowner. Should they be offered relocation? That's part of our role as New York State Department of Health."
McDonald adds the agencies are still early in this process.
"I think one of the things that's different about this is this is a really proactive approach. We're really trying to see if there are problems, and if so, how do we mitigate them? And then make sure there's no ongoing risk for anyone who lives in those homes," he said.
With further testing taking place in Erie County, Lefton emphasizes the fact that DEC and EPA officials will go test in places where the data is taking them.
"Aerial surveys identified increased levels of radiological activity, but we know that kind of radiological activity can be from lots of different things. That could be from a big boulder in a field, that could be from granite curbing, that could be from a retention wall. So when we're going out and we're doing these screenings, we're really trying to verify whether or not it's something that's naturally occurring, something that should be there, versus something like radiological waste that was placed there, that shouldn't be there," Lefton explained. "So importantly, as we've gone into additional communities, that doesn't mean that we're going to find radiological waste. It means that we've seen increased activity, and we need to get eyes on it in order to determine whether or not there's additional action that needs to be taken. Whether or not there's been something that's placed there that should not have been."
Lefton says DEC and EPA officials have already knocked on doors or sought access for properties of interest across Erie County.
"If we reach out to you to ask for access to screen, please give us access. There are a few dozen properties specifically that we sought access for, and really as soon as we can get those access forms signed, we can get teams out to do those surveys relatively quickly to then make that determination as to whether or not there's additional action that's needed," she said.
For families and residents in the affected areas that may not be satisfied with answers from state and federal officials, Martucci can understand why people are concerned.
"We've heard from residents directly, continue to hear from residents directly, and this is a scary thing," he acknowledged. "You're talking about an environmental hazard that people can't see and that is silent, and that in of itself is something that is concerning, difficult to understand. We also realize that folks who are impacted by this didn't ask for this. No one expected this to be on their property."
Martucci assures residents in the impacted areas that the nation's very best experts continue to working on this
"This sort of contamination is a contamination that the EPA, as an agency, addresses around the country. The DEC is well-versed in environmental cleanups of all different kinds. And the Department of Health has experts, many of whom are working on this every single day. A team of over 100 professionals brought not only from around the state, but from around the country. So we have the very best people working on this," Martucci said.
And while many would like answers a whole lot sooner, Martucci says science has to continue to guide the process.
"It's one that we're confident that we know we can work through in a very scientific way that will lead us to a place where we will be able to find environmental and health concerns where they exist and clean them up," he said.
The DEC will continue to ramp up resources so officials can continue to answer questions of concerned residents across the region.
"We know that uncertainty can be scary, we know that the situation can be scary. And we want to do everything we can to answer this question as quickly as possible. That's what we're going to remain focused on," Lefton said.
