Homeowners in the towns of Aurora, Boston, Brant, Concord, Eden, Evans, Hamburg, Marilla and Orchard Park may soon be contacted for permission to survey their properties for the possible presence of radioactive contamination.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, in a message posted online Tuesday, confirmed plans by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expand their survey, which in recent weeks had been concentrated mostly in Niagara County and at dozens of homes in Grand Island.
“We now know that those assessments are now coming to Erie County, with screenings having been performed in Grand Island, as well as will begin in Erie County's Southtowns,” Poloncarz said. “Thankfully, based on the conversations that I've had with Commissioner Amanda Leftin of the DEC, none of the screenings that have been performed in Erie County are troublesome. They're all coming in clean, but we are of course worried about what they may find.”
Meanwhile, WGRZ-TV reported Tuesday that dozens more homes had been identified in Grand Island in the vicinity of Veterans Park for testing.
The DEC and EPA held its latest community update Monday in Grand Island and is scheduled to host their next meeting Thursday at 4 p.m. inside the Niagara Falls Convention Center.
The Niagara County based community group Save Our Backyards, meanwhile, is hosting a meeting Tuesday, August 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Frontier Fire Hall in Niagara Falls.
Poloncarz says while the state and federal experts continue their survey, Erie County is standing by to assist as it can.
“Erie County will continue to participate in these calls, and if any information comes out that reveals worrisome results, we will certainly let the public know about that. As I said, the health and wellness of our citizens is our top priority. It will always be,” he said.