Residents unite

The good news is the community is uniting, testing is continuing and the laws today are better than they were when the Love Canal tragedy changed the world.

More than 150 people gathered for a community meeting Monday to hear from residents and experts about radiation detected around some homes in the Town of Niagara.

The anger and shock of the press conference of a few weeks ago seems to have healed into resolve.

The catharsis of last week’s public meeting was absent as well as there were no bureaucrats to rage at Monday night inside Chill 442 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Niagara Falls, just 200 concerned citizens gathered to listen intently.

Instead, it was expert speakers moderated by perpetual political candidate Nate McMurray, who did not mention he is running to give Niagara its first Democrat to represent the district since it was gerrymandered more than a decade ago. Niagara Falls usually doesn’t get a voice in Albany. It gets none in Washington where, since the start of this crisis, Representative Tim Kennedy and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand have been decidedly absent.

Kennedy rarely visits for any reason. Assembly Speaker Crystal People-Stokes has been her twice since we last saw the Congressman. Gillibrand and Schumer will show to talk about funding for the airbase or issues at the Canadian border. Actual genuine John LaFalce-style concern is decidedly absent. Not one of them truly cares about Niagara Falls or the Town of Niagara.

The response from the Environmental Protection Agency has been stilted, in part by cuts from the Trump administration. The State Department of Environment Conservation has been responding methodically, with workers doing testing and additional letters being mailed to potentially impacted homeowners, most recently in the area of Hyde Park Golf Course.

Meanwhile, the response from local government in the Town of Niagara and on Grand Island, which is still being downplayed, has been at best, measured.

Civiletto spoke briefly in her role as a child of Love Canal, a cancer survivor and attorney, advising people to document every interaction, every phone call, every visit. Take photos. Keep a journal. Record calls.

Diane D’Arrigo of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a national nonprofit and a Western New York native said she was first involved with the West Valley cleanup and Lake Ontario Ordinance Works and while there was evidence of the current problems as early as 1986, the aerial surveys that preceded revelation of the current community crisis didn’t not occur until 2024. It’s also troubling the DEC won’t say much more about the cause of elevated radiation than thorium.

Presenters also included four impacted homeowners, including Lexie Hawk, Carolyn Johnson, Jackie Linkowski and Kellie Motyka, neighbors united in angst and demanding Gov. Hochul declare the neighborhood a Class I Superfund site, easing the path to remediation, relocation and remuneration.

The "Waiver" Controversy: Multiple homeowners reported that the DEC/EPA initially refused to test properties unless residents signed a waiver releasing the state and federal government from all future liability. Testing only proceeded after a coordinated press conference on July 10, 2026, forced the agencies to remove the waiver. Civiletto characterized it as illegal coercion.

Extreme Contamination Levels:

One resident reported readings of 900,000 counts per second in their yard.

Another noted levels 120 times the Nuclear Regulatory Commission annual public exposure limit and 1,200 times the DEC soil cleanup guidelines.

Contamination is not limited to yards; testing confirmed high levels inside homes, including basements, kitchens, and bedrooms.

Health Impacts: Residents shared a history of rare cancers (thyroid, lung, bladder), neurological issues, and chronic illnesses. D'Arrigo emphasized that there is no "safe" level of radiation and that women and children face significantly higher risks.

The Source ("Slag"): From the 1920s to the 1960s, radioactive slag was sold to trucking companies and used as cheap fill for driveways, roads, and foundations throughout Niagara County.

What we want from here:

• Class 1 Superfund Designation: Direct appeal to Governor Hochul to bypass bureaucratic delays and provide immediate funding.
• Immediate Relocation: Seamless assistance for families in "hot" homes, including covering moving expenses and ensuring new locations are pre-tested for safety.
• Transparency: A public website with daily updates, raw testing data, and a formal "Public Participation Plan" that includes residents in decision-making.
• Medical Monitoring: Establishment of a medical fund and long-term health monitoring for affected residents.