Erie County residents receive updates on radiological assessments

NYSDEC, EPA conducting first radiological survey of Erie, Niagara counties since 1984

√ Concerned residents can contact NYSDEC at 518-712-8279 with questions

Submitted by the Office of Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz 

Local residents were briefed on ongoing radiological assessments in Northern Erie and Niagara County by the New York State Department of Environment and Conversation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday, as the agencies hosted a joint information session.

"The continued health and wellness of our residents remains my administration's top concern,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. “That is why, for weeks now, members of my administration have participated in EPA and NYSDEC calls regarding potential radiological exposure in the region, and I have been personally briefed on the matter by DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton and others. Now that testing has commenced on Grand Island, and we have been advised that screenings will begin in various communities in the Southtowns, it is important for all residents to know the EPA and NYSDEC have the authority, experts and modern technological resources to conduct this new phase of radiological surveys, especially given that the last survey of the region was done in 1984.”

Poloncarz added, “I have been advised that all sites tested so far on Grand Island have come back clean, which is very good news. Nevertheless, this critical work is made necessary by our area’s nuclear legacy, which included participating in the Manhattan Project and decades of unregulated waste disposal. The goal is to protect public health and our environment, and we support these agencies’ work as they move ahead with their mission.”

Erie County residents: call NYSDEC at 518-712-8279 with questions about EPA and DEC activities. NYSDEC maintains a web page with extensive information about this project and survey phases. Residents from Erie County or anywhere in Western New York or Canada can contact DEC’s Region 9 headquarters at 518-712-8279, or by email at NECRA@dec.ny.gov.