Army Corps outlines extended radioactive cleanup at DuPont Chambers Works, estimates excavation through 2032

Lindsey Keller, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' FUSRAP work at the DuPont Chambers Works, told Salem County commissioners that excavation and off-site disposal of radiologically contaminated soils is ongoing and will likely continue through 2032.

Keller said the formerly utilized sites remedial action program (FUSRAP) was created to address Manhattan Project contamination and that the Army Corps’ objective at Chambers Works is “to ensure that formerly used Manhattan Project sites are made safe and can be reused, specifically safe to the public.” She said the Corps has completed excavation and disposal of “over 93,000 cubic yards of material” and currently estimates about 54,000 cubic yards remain, though that amount could increase as the work continues.

The Corps’ geologist and technical manager, Dan Serkis, described how contamination at Chambers Works is “randomly distributed” within areas where DuPont historically used…