The Army Corps of Engineers is planning to unveil its preliminary report next week to explain the radioactive contamination recently discovered in Rattlesnake Creek, a tributary of Two Mile Creek.

A press conference will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at the Corps headquarters at 1776 Niagara St. in Buffalo.

A separate public meeting will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Phillip Sheridan Building at 3200 Elmwood Ave. in the Town of Tonawanda.

The two meetings will be held just 10 days after two local politicians were criticized for holding a private meeting with a selected group of residents to discuss the problem. Reporters, representatives of an environmentalist group and a handful of people living close to the creek were prohibited from attending the June 17 meeting.

Rattlesnake Creek, which is approximately one-mile long, runs through the town and city of Tonawanda before dumping into the Niagara River.

City of Tonawanda Mayor Alice Roth and Erie County Legislature Chairman Chuck Swanick held a private meeting at Warren's Restaurant in the City of Tonawanda, allowing only residents of Brookside Terrace and Duffy Drive to attend. The homes on these two streets are adjacent to Two Mile Creek. Rattlesnake Creek is a tributary of Two Mile Creek, and runs parallel to Fletcher Street. Residents from other streets were outraged at being excluded, because their property is physically closer to Rattlesnake Creek.

In the wake of the criticism, the Corps will release its findings to the press and in a public forum to permit residents to ask questions.

The issue arose approximately six weeks ago, when the Corps discovered uranium in the creek bed during routine testing. But, area residents did not hear about the findings until approximately three to four weeks after uranium was found.

The Corps conducts periodic ground and water purity tests near the creek and the surrounding area at 4545 River Road, known as the Ashland II site. The tests are done in conjunction with a recent cleanup project at the site to determine the success of the remediation.

According-to the Corps, the contaminants, which were discovered about 18 inches below the creek bottom, may have drifted from Ashland II.

The area has been polluted with uranium, thorium and radium since the 1940s, when waste was stored at the site that was generated during the construction of the atomic bomb in World War II.

To date, the Corps has not released any details as to how much contamination has been found in the creek That information should be available during the Monday press conference.

Any contamination cleanup costs are expected to be covered by the federal government. Under federal law, any radioactive contamination, stemming from the construction of the atomic bomb must be funded by the federal government.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Apparently, the heat (local consensus, not weather) got to the USACE. We are used to Chuck Swanick shooting himself in the foot quite often, but we didn't think Lt. Colonel Feierstein would commit the same blunder. Didn't take long for USACE to arrange a PUBLIC meeting.

Missing from the meeting though, were the Colonel and the local politicians. The only ones present for the USACE were their regular spinmeisters.

We have to congratulate the "damage control" team, they really do a good job when it comes to that area of expertise.