The Army Corps of Engineers announced at a Monday press conference that uranium discovered recently in Rattlesnake Creek poses no threat to City of Tonawanda residents, but the cause of the contamination remains uncertain.

Lt. Col. Mark Feierstein, the commander of the Buffalo cleanup district, said the radiation found in the creek has different characteristics than the contaminated soil, which he initially thought was the cause of the problem.

"Right now the radioactive nuclide samples do not match the material that we removed from Ashland II," he said.

When the Corps discovered that the creek had higher-than-expected uranium levels during routine testing just six seeks ago, the Corps suspected that runoff from the Ashland II radioactive-waste site was the culprit.

That site, which abuts the creek, is located at 4545 River Road in the town. It had been contaminated since the 1940s, when it was used as a dump for radioactive waste generated at a nearby atomic bomb construction plant.

In February, the Corps removed the last of 45,500 cubic yards of radioactive soil from Ashland II, but some of the waste was believed to have spread into Rattlesnake Creek.

However, Lt. Col. Feierstein said he was surprised about the type of radiation found in the creek. It was different than he would have expected based on the waste removed at the neighboring dump site, he said.

Ashland 1I was littered with mostly thorium and radium. Only small traces of uranium were deposited at the dump, since that element was extracted to help build the atomic bomb.

Lt. Col. Feierstein said he is uncertain about the cause of the creek's contamination because its makeup is the opposite of Ashland II's. The radioactive elements found in the creek consisted of normal levels of thorium and radium, while uranium was high.

Although there is some question how the uranium got there, the important factor is that residents are safe, Lt. Col. Feierstein said.

"There is zero risk and zero exposure (to radiation) from Rattlesnake Creek," he said.

He insists that ground testing results ensure the 1,800 residents who live close to the creek in the section of the city known as "the hill" are safe.

"Even if a child were to wander into Rattlesnake Creek and play, the child would be safe," he said.

After conducting a series of tests, the Corps has determined that uranium levels are low enough that he could close the door on the issue. However, to guaranty public safety, the Corps will continue to test other sections of the mile-long creek be- fore deciding whether the creek requires a cleanup.

Unless higher contamination levels arc found, the potential of a clean-up occurring is remote, Lt. Col. Feierstein added.

Rattlesnake Creek, which is dry most of the year, runs parallel to River Road from the Town of Tonawanda into the City of Tonawanda. The creek then joins Two Mile Creek, which dumps into the Niagara River.

According to the Corps, the highest level of uranium found in the creek is a fraction of what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission permits humans to come in contact with in one year's time .

If the highest level of uranium in the creek was placed on top of the ground instead of in its current state, which is 18 inches below the surface, it still would be considered safe.

Under those circumstances, Lt. Col. Feierstein said a child who played in that area eight-hours per day for 365 days only would be exposed to two-thirds of the radiation which is considered safe.

The cause of the creek's contami-
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government is required to fund only those waste cleanup projects caused by the construction of the atomic bomb. As a result, a culprit would have to be found to pay for any remediation, if it were deemed necessary.

Although the Corps does not anticipate any problems, additional testing will he compacted by winter. At that time, a final report will be made available to the public. Town Supervisor Carl Calabrese and the Erie County Legislature Chairman Chuck Swanick said they are relieved by the Corps findings. Both officials said it was unfortunate that the issue was blown out of proportion before the initial testing results were completed.

A public meeting will be held Thursday, July 1 at 7 p.m. in the Phillip Sheridan Building at 3200 Elmwood Ave.