View the FUSRAP fact sheet that provides a concise overview of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program.

• Site-Specific Memorandum of Understanding for Shallow Lands Disposal Area, Parks Township, Pennsylvania.

• Engineering and Design - Management Guidelines for Working With Radioactive and Mixed Waste, Engineer Manual (EM) 1110-35-1
• Environmental Quality - Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), Engineer Regulation (ER) 200-1-4

Under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cleaning up sites with contamination resulting from the nation’s early atomic energy program. FUSRAP was initiated in 1974 to identify, investigate and, if necessary, clean up or control sites throughout the United States contaminated as a result of Manhattan Engineer District (MED) or early Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) activities. Both the MED and the AEC were predecessors of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

There are currently 21 active Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites located across eight states. At these sites, remedial action is planned, under way or pending final closeout. Additionally, in total, 10 sites have been transferred back to the Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management for long-term stewardship.

Congress transferred administration and execution of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program cleanups from the Department of Energy (DOE) to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in October 1997. USACE continues to address sites the DOE began, sites that were referred to USACE by the DOE Office of Legacy Management under a USACE/DOE Memorandum of Understanding, and one site added to the program by Congress.

During the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, private companies throughout the United States, under contract with the government, performed work during World War II for the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) and during peacetime for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Both the MED and AEC were predecessors to the present day Department of Energy.

Even though Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites may contain levels of radioactivity above current regulatory guidelines, none of the sites pose an imminent health risk to the public or environment given current land uses. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers implements health and safety mitigation measures such as physical barriers, air monitoring, posted signage and/or site security as appropriate at each site.

We want to ensure that each site is protective to a standard that considers possible future uses for the land. Although these materials are not currently a hazard, they will remain radioactive for thousands of years, and health risks could increase if the use of the land were to change.

Most sites that became contaminated during the early atomic energy program were cleaned up under guidelines in effect at the time. Because those cleanup guidelines were not as strict as today’s standards, the current level of residual radioactivity may no longer be acceptable.

Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites are generally contaminated with low levels of uranium, thorium and radium, and their associated decay products. Mixed wastes (other contaminants mixed with radiological waste) also are sometimes present.

It is important to understand that most FUSRAP sites have low levels of residual radioactivity since the raw product was shipped offsite years ago after the Manhattan Engineer District and Atomic Energy Commission (predecessors of the Department of Energy) work was completed.

For a new site to be added to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), the Department of Energy (DOE) first performs historical research to determine if the new site is eligible to add to the program.

DOE determines if the site was used for activities which supported the Nation’s early atomic energy program and that the site could be contaminated with materials from the Manhattan Engineer District or Atomic Energy Commission.  If it was, the site is referred to USACE to assess whether the site contains contamination that resulted from the early atomic energy program and whether further investigation or remedial action is needed. If USACE determines further action is necessary, this is reported to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, who subsequently informs Congress that the site is being added to the program and will request funding for USACE to conduct the work.

The objectives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) are to safely, effectively, and efficiently:

• Identify and evaluate sites where authority and the need for a response action exist.
• Clean up or control FUSRAP sites to ensure protection of human health and the environment.
• Dispose of or stabilize radioactive material in a way that is safe for the public and the environment.
• Perform work in compliance with applicable federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations.
• Return sites for appropriate future use.

When executing the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) follows the framework of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). Each site may have multiple operable units, each in their own phase of the CERCLA process.

USACE is committed to informing and involving the public as it progresses through the decision-making process for each site. USACE coordinates response actions with the appropriate federal and/or state environmental regulatory agencies on all sites.

Two years after USACE completes a response action and final closeout activities at a FUSRAP site, that site, along with responsibility for any necessary long-term stewardship, is transferred to the Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management.

If remediation is the chosen alternative at a site, a combination of engineering, administrative, and personnel protective equipment controls are put in place to ensure the safety of site workers, people on site (where applicable), and surrounding neighbors. Site workers are required to wear protective clothing and a thermoluminescent dosimeter, which is a device that measures radiation exposure. In addition, they wear personal monitors that measure daily air quality. Perimeter air monitors are also placed around the site with samples taken and data evaluated on a daily basis, and engineering controls for dust management (such as watering down the material for excavation) are used as well.

Additional information about Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) sites that have been completed and transferred to the Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management (DOE-LM) for long-term stewardship can be found DOE-LM’s website.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management maintains a database of sites considered under FUSRAP. You can access the database here.