Residents demand answers after radioactive contamination was found in Town of Niagara

NIAGARA, N.Y. (WKBW) — More than 100 residents in the Town of Niagara received letters from the state Department of Environmental Conservation earlier this month warning that high levels of radioactive material were found in their yards.

State and federal agencies held a joint community meeting Monday night at the Niagara Falls Convention Center to provide updates, but many residents left with more questions than answers.

The meeting, hosted by the DEC, EPA, and the state Department of Health, drew a packed crowd of frustrated residents who said they had been left in the dark about the radiation readings found on their properties.

Trevor Bradley, one of four homeowners asked to relocate due to high radiation levels found at his Chester Avenue home, described the fear of not being able to detect the danger.

"It's scary because you can't see radiation, you can't smell it, you can't hear it, taste it, feel it. You have no way of knowing that it's there until the government sends you a letter," Bradley said.

Representatives from the agencies gave a brief presentation outlining the next steps and took questions from residents about their individual properties.

DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton acknowledged the area's history of industrial pollution and the need to act.

"We know that there's a history of industrial pollution in this area. We know that the data that we had wasn't matching up, and that caused us to ask a question. And shame on us if we don't deliver and if we don't try to investigate what's happening," Lefton said.

EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Mike Martucci urged residents to allow access to their properties for screening.

"Requesting people give us more access as we stand ready to get into those places, into the yards, into the homes, collect that screening data, and make real-time decisions based on not lab data, but screening data about whether or not people can stay in their homes," Martucci said.

WATCH: Residents demand answers after radioactive contamination was found in Town of Niagara

Bradley and his wife are trying to protect their 3-year-old daughter from the impacts of radiation at their home. He said the support provided so far has fallen short.

"We were given a one-night stay at an AirBnb last night, so we're left going back to our home," Bradley said.

Bradley is encouraging neighbors to allow their properties to be tested and is calling for broader protections for those living near affected homes.

"The neighbors who are next to these properties within direct vicinity of this radiation that they be temporarily relocated during the remediation process and long-term relocation for the whole entire process for people who have it in their yards," Bradley said.

Local lawmakers were also in attendance, pledging to hold the agencies accountable.

"It was imperative that they do something and, first of all, they're here. That's a start," Niagara County 4th District Legislator Jeffrey Elder said. "We're going to hold them to the fire to make sure that your questions are answered."

For Elder, the issue is deeply personal. He grew up in the Love Canal area and later lived near the Goodyear Plant.

"I grew up in the Love Canal. When I left the Love Canal, I moved to Girard Avenue, 56th Street, right next to the Goodyear Plant," Elder said. "That was like jumping out of the frying pan right into the fire, so I know what the families are going through. Both my mother and father died from cancer."

Governor Kathy Hochul was in Western New York Monday, saying testing is now underway to get answers for those impacted.

Residents whose homes are screened for radiation will be offered immediate relocation to a temporary hotel or Airbnb. After that, agencies will help find a long-term place to stay, and homeowners can suggest a preferred location. The cost of relocation will be covered by the EPA.