Notice of Initiation of the Five-Year Review for Remedial Action at Building 23 W.R. Grace Curtis Bay Facility, Baltimore, Maryland

Published Feb. 17, 2020

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, has initiated a five-year review for the W.R. Grace Curtis Bay Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Site, Baltimore, Maryland. 

The review process involves an evaluation of the risk posed by residual radioactivity remaining at Building 23, which is associated with monazite sand processing by the property owner to extract the radioactive element thorium under a contract with the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950’s. As a result of the processing operations, low levels of radioactive contamination remain in Building 23.  The selected remedy to address residual radioactivity at Building 23 provides for either decontamination or removal of areas within the southwest quadrant of Building 23 that had been impacted with FUSRAP radionuclides is documented further in a Record of Decision dated 2005. An amendment to the 2005 Record of Decision is currently being coordinated with stakeholders to propose the complete demolition of the southwest quadrant of Building 23. 

The methods, findings, and conclusions of the review will be documented in a Five-Year Review Report. The report will also identify issues found during the review, if any, and propose recommendations to address them.  The final Five-Year Review report is anticipated by September 2020 and will be made available to the public.

Recent environmental documents from the site are available for review in the project's Administrative Record File, which is located at:

Enoch Pratt Library – Brooklyn Branch
300 East Patapsco Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland  21201
410-396-1120

This full public notice is also available on the internet at the following link: www.nab.usace.army.mil/EnvironmentalNotices

If you have any questions please contact Chris Gardner via email at Christopher.P.Gardner@usace.army.mil.