A major environmental program to clean up eight sites contaminated from past activities involving radioactive materials has been assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Buffalo District.

In the Town of Tonawanda, the Corps of Engineers will take over the Ashland and Linde sites. However, none of the identified sites which are located in Town, Lewiston and South Buffalo as well as two sites in the state of Ohio, present immediate health risks to the public or the environment, officials said.

The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) was initiated by the Department of Energy in 1974 to study FUSRAP sites and take appropriate cleanup action. Since that time, it has examined records or performed surveys on more than 400 sites, with 46 identified as contaminated with radioactivity that exceeds current cleanup guidelines. Cleanup has been completed at 25 of those sites.

The Corps currently manages a similar program for the Department of Defense. Congress transferred the management of the FUSRAP program to the Corps on Oct. 13, 1997.

Citizens and agencies concerned about the ongoing actions on these sites should now contact the Buffalo District at 879-4101.