Newhallville Nuclear Site Fully Cleaned Up, Say Feds, State

NEW HAVEN, CT — It was said to have been cleaned up in the late 1970s, but decades later, federal regulators deemed more cleanup was needed at the United Nuclear site in Newhallville.

Now, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says the site is "fully remediated."

"...along with partners at the federal, municipal, and community level, and the private sector, is pleased to announce the completion of remediation activities at the former United Nuclear Corporation site located at 71 Shelton Ave.," a news release from the agency reads.

The site was used by the U.S. Department of Energy to "conduct research and make nuclear fuel components for the U.S. Navy from the mid-1950s until 1974, playing a key role during the Cold War," DEEP said.

In a news release where all the "partners" and stakeholders including the city of New Haven, the NRC, DEEP, General Electric, the state health department and Newhallville community organizers, congratulate one another on a job well done as "all played key roles in this accomplishment," it's noted that the "final remediation" involved myriad operations.

The work included, "deconstructing the buildings on-site, as well as concrete foundations, utility trenches, and sub-slab structures and basins, and excavation of underlying soil to achieve acceptable regulatory requirements," DEEP noted.

"Clean-up operations were conducted in a deliberate manner to minimize the generation of airborne dust, and air monitoring activities were conducted throughout the process," the release reads, adding that some 10,000 tons of waste materials were removed. And, non-regulated construction debris, such as concrete and steel, was recycled locally.

"Throughout the course of the remediation work, neighborhood stakeholders were kept informed through project managers’ attendance at monthly community team meetings, and were provided status update emails and fact sheets that included photographs, air monitoring data, and information regarding waste shipments," the news release reads.

Gov. Ned Lamont was on site Monday.

“Here’s to all the folks from DEEP, and others, who played such a role in cleaning up the former United Nuclear Corporation site in New Haven,” Lamont said. “Here’s to the neighbors in Newhallville, this is amazing, the transformation, you see what this has looked like for many, many, many years, and what a difference it is now. So to the friends of DEEP, the environmentalists, and to the neighborhood, that’s progress, I appreciate all you did to make this happen.”

Steve Winter, Alderman of the 21st Ward, in which the former UNC site sat, lives a block away from the site. He's quoted as saying, in part: “It’s a great comfort to know that the site was successfully cleaned up..."