Crisis at West Valley 4 : Cleanup Plans Take Shape
Radioactive waste disposal in the ground -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Radioactive waste sites -- New York (State) -- West Valley
Reactor fuel reprocessing -- New York (State) -- West Valley
1. Rich Newberg’s story documenting top U.S. energy officials assuring West Valley residents that the massive cleanup effort will be safely conducted with citizen input. The federal government takes possession of the high level nuclear waste burial grounds and the facilities there in about five days. A citizens panel led by Peter Skinner is aware of “the technological difficulties of the project, the public sensitivity of the facility, and the hazards of the undertaking…” Westinghouse representative Ray Maison promises to keep the community “fully informed of what we’re doing and what we plan to do every step of the way.” However, dairy farmer Emil Zimmerman questions what would happen if the milk from his cows is contaminated with strontium 90. He is concerned about the livelihood of the people in the area. He wants to also know about liability should there be an accident. He says this issue should be considered as a priority as cleanup plans progress. There is also concern about the Reagan administration’s plans to possibly dissolve the U.S. Department of Energy. The department’s representative,Sheldon Meyers, says if there is “dismantlement,” he believes that “the various functions in the department which are mandated by law or are necessary to do, will be either distributed to other agencies or a new independent agency will be set up.” (Runs: 3:33) 2. Reporter Rich Newberg questions Jim Duckworth, who ran the Nuclear Fuel Services plant for Getty Oil. Getty purchased the reprocessing facility from W.R. Grace Company in 1969. The first shipments of spent nuclear fuel rods at arrived in 1965, with reprocessing beginning 1966. A steel storage tank containing 600,000 gallons of high level liquid radioactive must be emptied and converted into a solidified, glass like substance for permanent storage. During an informational briefing featuring a scale model of the tank, Duckworth explains how the original safety system for high level radioactive waste was compromised. He confirms that the catch basin that sits under the steel tank has a hole in it. Newberg asks: “Is there a crack in the pan?” Answer: “There is a hole in the pan between the pan and the vault.” He says there is no radioactivity outside the tank. The ‘saucer’ is supposed to be a catch basin for the tank, should there be a spill. Duckworth says “Since that system was compromised, we have put in more sensitive systems that have been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission…” At the beginning of the briefing, the model is shown to be on a scale of 3/8th“ to a foot. The actual tank measures 70 feet in diameter and is 27 feet high. It sits in a “partial tank” (catch basin) about 5 feet high. It is a “cup and saucer” design. The cup and saucer are sitting in a one-foot thick concrete vault. The entire vault is underground sitting on four feet of gravel which is covered with 8 feet of dirt. Outside the vault, water is injected so that the entire area is saturated with liquid. If the vault should crack, Duckworth says the water would leak in. He explains that liquid level detectors are installed inside the vault and inside the pan (saucer). Duckworth says there is a 24 inch pipe that extends from the center of the tank up above grade. He says there is an empty spare tank beside the tank containing the waste. If a leak were detected, he says the contents would be pumped into the spare tank. Duckworth points out that this was the design technology in 1963. The criteria for the tank’s construction was given to the original reprocessing company by the Atomic Energy Commission. The tank is described as “mild steel,” which has a high resistance to breakage. Duckworth says the waste put in the tank is neutralized with “caustic” (he says it is the same chemical as oven cleaner). Caustic will not dissolve mild steel. The tank was to be replaced every 50 years. Duckworth says a test on a piece of pipe from the tank was made in 1977 or ’78 on how much corrosion had taken place. He says it was determined that the tank could last another 400 years if the corrosion rate stayed the same. The maximum temperature of the tank was 240 degrees Fahrenheit. It is now held at 185 degrees F. He says the corrosion rate has been reduced by a factor of two. The principle radioactive isotopes in the tank are strontium 90 and cesium 137. They have half-lives of about 30 years. Duckworth notes the scale model is not entirely accurate regarding the piping at the base. Video then includes exterior shots of where the tank is stored underground as well as shots of the buildings on the site. (Runs: 12:55) 3. Rich Newberg’s overview report on terms of the cleanup agreement at West Valley. New York State Energy Commissioner James LaRocca says the agreement “marks a new era for the federal government in assuming its responsibilities for dealing with this very very difficult problem of nuclear waste disposal.” 90 percent of the projected $285 million dollar cost for the project will be paid by the federal government. 10 percent will be the state’s responsibility. The site is slated to be turned over to the federal government no later than October 1, 1981. The cleanup effort is projected to take 17 years. The high level liquid waste is to be turned into a glass like substance and ultimately removed to a yet unnamed federal repository for permanent storage. Commissioner LaRocca says “the agreement precludes the use of West Valley for any other purpose but the solidification removal of these wastes during the conduct of this project.” (Runs: 1:25) (November, 1980) [Note: Since the original projections, the cost to clean up nuclear waste at West Valley is estimated in 2020 to be between $5 billion and $10 billion dollars. The hopes of developing a lucrative nuclear fuel reprocessing plant were dashed when the operation shut down in 1972, six years after it began. The State of New York had originally provided a loan of $32 million in 1963 to build the plant. During the course of its operation it brought in $22 million in sales.] 4. The clean-up agreement at West Valley calls for Getty Oil’s Nuclear Fuel Services company to transfer ownership of the high level radioactive site to the federal government. (Runs: 0:37) 5. Allen Costantini’s story on the transfer of the West Valley site to the federal government. U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-New York) says the high level waste cleanup effort will serve as a demonstration project for the nation. While the 600,000 gallons of high level radioactive waste will be solidified and removed from the site, there is still a question about the future placement of the highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods contained in canisters submerged in a pool of water. New York State Energy Commissioner James LaRocca says that issue will be addressed when a national spent fuel program is put in place. (Runs: 2:13) 6. Rich Newberg’s story on the U.S. Senate’s vote to consider West Valleys as one of three future sites for the storage of spent nuclear fuel rods. There are 162 metric tons of those rods from nuclear power plants stored at West Valley. The bill would allow trucks to deliver radioactive waste to West Valley or the other sites under consideration in South Carolina and Illinois. U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato (R-New York) is concerned that there would be “incidents” as atomic waste is carried over the nation’s roadways. The Senate bill does not allow radioactive waste to be stored on the property of the nuclear power plants that generated the waste. (Runs: 1:53) 7. Emil Jablonski’s story on a public relations effort by Westinghouse to educate citizens about the project to clean up and remove high level radioactive waste from the West Valley site. Ray Maison of Westinghouse gives assurances that the 600,000 thousands of high level liquid waste that will be turned into a glass like substance will not be permanently stored at the site. “No chance at all,” he says. “This is not considered a suitable site for a federal repository.” The public learns that old fuel reprocessing equipment will be decontaminated and removed, so machinery to solidify radioactive waste can be moved in. (Runs: 2:15) 8. The final federal report on long-term management of liquid high-level radioactive wastes stored at West Valley recommends that the waste be shipped to a federal repository for permanent storage. The federal government, however, still does not have a permanent disposal sight designated. (Runs: 0:45) 9. The future of the West Valley site is again in question when the House Energy Committee fails to stop the U.S. Department of Energy from creating radioactive waste storage sites away from nuclear power plants. Representative Stanley Lundine (D-Jamestown) is concerned that the Senate will view West Valley as “the most convenient dumping ground.” Representative Jack Kemp (R-Hamburg) says that he and Lundine will work to “remove any possibility of West Valley being used either temporarily or permanently as a storage ground for nuclear waste.” (Runs: 1:14) 10. WIS-TV (Columbia, South Carolina) interview with U.S. Energy Secretary James Edwards, who serves in the Reagan administration. The interview is conducted as a facility in Barnwell, South Carolina is considering opening a privately owned nuclear reprocessing plant. It would be similar to what was once the West Valley operation. Edwards says the plant at West Valley had operated successfully for four or five years and then closed down in order to upgrade the operation. He explains that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission changed the rules “in the middle of the stream on them, and they started adding more requirements and more regulations…” As a result he says the company said it couldn’t afford what was being required and went out of business. Edwards adds that defense work had been done at West Valley which justifies taxpayers covering cleanup costs. He said “these weapons helped keep us safe and free.” He calls sites like West Valley “little places that are thorns in our sides and thorns into the future development of nuclear energy…” He says he has “put a lot of emphasis in cleaning those up.” He goes on to say that the country will learn from West Valley because of methods that will be employed to clean up the high level radioactive waste there. (Runs: 3:03) [Note: Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, a nuclear physicist and staff scientist to the Radioactive Waste Campaign, which fought proposals to reopen West Valley for more nuclear waste, has said upgrades to the plant in 1972 would have cost about $600 million dollars. “In the Sierra Club’s extensive petition to intervene in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s proceeding to expand the plant,” says Resnikoff, “we argued that the plant could not withstand a potential earthquake.” The new conditions that were going to be imposed on the plant required safeguards, should an earthquake occur. West Valley sits on a geological fault line. The cost to upgrade was prohibitive and Getty Oil never re-opened the nation’s only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant.] 11. WIS-TV (Columbia, South Carolina) reporter John Roberts series on lesson learned from the problems at the West Valley nuclear storage site. (This same piece appears in the Crisis at West Valley 1 : Overview report.) Atomic power plants and the Department of Energy want to open an already built reprocessing plant for spent nuclear fuel rods in Barnwell, South Carolina. The $350 million dollar plant was built in 1976 (about six years before these reports aired). Uranium and plutonium would be extracted from the fuel rods used in nuclear reactors, and then used again. Critics of opening the plant point to problems at West Valley as a good reason not to allow the plant to open. Reporter Roberts points out that the West Valley plant closed in 1972 after operating for six years. He says the reprocessing plant had suffered $42 million dollars in losses. The costs of removing 600,000 gallons of highly radioactive liquid and sludge will cost a lot more, reports Roberts. He also shows the 163 metric tons of radioactive fuel assemblies stored at the bottom of cooling tanks at West Valley. The tanks hold 615 canisters filled with spent fuel rods. Utility companies that had sent the rods refuse to take them back. The water in the tank must be recirculated, cooled and purified in order to prevent the rods from heating the tank to 185 degrees. Using footage provided by WIVB-TV and gathered by reporter Rich Newberg and photographer Jay Lauder, reporter Roberts shows the start of cleanup and testing operations at West Valley. The contaminated cell where uranium was once removed is entered by radiation experts in protective gear. Roberts reports that their task is to determine the level of radioactivity lodged in the cement walls and piping. The same cell might be used to during cleanup operations when the high level radioactive liquid waste is converted into a solid glass like substance. Engineers are now predicting the cleanup at West Valley could go as high as one billion dollars. In the series, West Valley dairy farmer Emil Zimmerman speaks at a meeting about concerns that milk from his and other farmers’ cows could become contaminated with strontium 90. As South Carolina is learning about the problems at West Valley, the federal government is seeking out companies that might be interested in opening the plant at Barnwell. U.S. Energy Secretary James Edwards says the country needs plutonium for research programs. He adds that plutonium is also needed to “fire our breeder reactor.” Edwards is negotiating with a dozen companies saying the U.S. would buy the plutonium produced at Barnwell. He says reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods could become “a viable commercial venture.” Critics say such operations would become a financial and technical failure. Reporter Roberts also points out potential risks to workers maintaining operations in a plant dealing with high levels of radioactive waste. He notes that the West Valley plant once “chopped up” nuclear fuel rods, dissolved them in acid, and then separated uranium and plutonium from other radioactive elements. He further notes that the work was done behind thick concrete walls and leaded glass because exposure to gamma and beta rays can cause cancer and genetic damage. (This same piece appears in the Crisis at West Valley 1 : Overview report.) 12. Exterior and interior video of West Valley nuclear storage site. Some off-camera narration as reporters are given a tour. Depth of pool holding spent nuclear fuel rods is 44 feet. Caution sign reads CONTAMINATED ZONE 4 HIGH RADIATION AREA AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY AREA. Line of robotic arm controls in front of glass enclosed cells. Sign: SAFETY GLASSES REQUIRED IN THIS AREA CAUTION RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS. Control room. Panel of controls. Closeup shot of buttons to sound evacuation alarm. Fenced exterior shots of property. More exterior shots including NFS blue building. (Runs: 2:48) 13. Rich Newberg’s report with photographer Jay Lauder documenting the first tests conducted by Westinghouse experts inside a radioactive cell where uranium was extracted from spent fuel rods. The tests are to help establish the best techniques for preparing the facility for the task of solidifying the high level liquid radioactive waste sitting in an underground storage tank at West Valley. (This same piece appears in the Crisis at West Valley 1 : Overview report.) [Note: The U.S. demonstration project that formally got underway in 1981 is still in progress in the year 2020. The cleanup project could end up costing taxpayers $5 billion to $10 billion dollars.]
WIVB (Television Station: Buffalo, N.Y.)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Arts Director)
Newberg, Rich (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Lauder, Jay (WIVB-TV News Photographer)
Costantini, Allen (WIVB-TV Reporter)
Jablonski, Emil (WIVB-T Reporter)
Roberts, John (WIS-TV Reporter)
D’Arrigo, Diane (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
Resnikoff, Marvin (Nuclear Physicist)
Hameister, Joanne (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Vaughan, Ray (The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes)
Shepp, Amanda (Coordinator of Special Collections & Archives, SUNY Fredonia)
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Crisis at West Valley 5 : Present and Future Concerns
The following videos show progress made in cleaning up the West Valley radioactive waste site. They include the solidification of the high level liquid waste that had been in underground tanks and the demolition of contaminated buildings. They also include the on-site storage of high and low level radioactive waste and the removal of some of this waste from the site. Since the mid-1970s citizen watchdog groups including experts in the field of nuclear waste have expressed concern about the health, safety and environmental issues involved in the storage and management of nuclear waste at West Valley as well as the subsequent efforts to clean up the site. In 2020, decisions still must be made on how much nuclear waste can be left in trenches, holes, tanks and the below-ground portion of the building that once reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods. Watchdog groups continue to express concerns that the site itself is on rapidly eroding plateaus surrounded by creeks that drain through the Seneca Nation of Indians into Lake Erie. They warn that there is a potential for this erosion to reach the underground nuclear waste and release long-lasting dangerous radioactive materials into the Great Lakes. VIDEOS 1. Huge steel lined concrete casks provide on-site storage of high level radioactive glass logs converted from liquid waste at West Valley. 56 casks holding the high level waste are stored above ground on the property of the West Valley Demonstration Project site. They sit on a reinforced concrete slab until they can be shipped out to a national nuclear waste repository yet to be named. The casks each hold five canisters containing the glass logs which will remain highly radioactive for thousands of years. Each cask weights close to 90 tons. The high level waste needed to be removed from the plant at West Valley so building demolition could take place. [“HLW Progress Video” produced by DOE contractor CH2M HILL BWXT WEST VALLEY, LLC. ; 7/7/2016 ; Runs: 1:58] 2. Transporting highly radioactive building material from West Valley to Texas. When U.S. Department of Energy Took over West Valley site it had to solidify 600,000 gallons of high level radioactive waste. The process, called vitrification, turned the liquid into glass like rods. While the solidified high level waste is still stored on-site at West Valley, the equipment used for the vitrification process then had to be safely packaged and disposed of off site. Each of three vessels containing highly radioactive dismantled parts from the “Melter” were loaded onto special trailers with 130 tires. They were then transported from West Valley, through neighborhoods, to the rail yard in Blasdell, New York. The giant containers were then taken by rail to waste control specialists at a site in Andrews, Texas. [“Melter Shipment “ Video” produced by DOE contractor CH2M HILL BWXT WEST VALLEY, LLC. ; 12/14/2016 ; Runs: 3:57] 3. Resident records radioactive waste from West Valley rolling through his neighborhood. A citizen reacts to a huge vessel containing dismantled parts from the “Melter” being transported through his neighborhood. He provides a short narrative along with what he captures on video. [Posted on YouTube by “Robert” ; October 26, 2016 ; Runs: 1:36] 4. Second radioactive waste transport video posted on YouTube by “Robert”. A week after recording the first transport of radioactive waste through his neighborhood, “Robert” posts a second video showing how the special trailer carrying its radioactive load, negotiates the crossing over railroad tracks. [November 2, 2016 ; Runs: 2:33] 5. Demolition of radioactive buildings begin at West Valley. Demolishing the building where high level liquid radioactive waste was turned into a glass like substance - This radiological demolition requires continuous monitoring and specialized equipment. Continuous air monitors provide a real time read out for the protection of personnel on-site as well as the public and the environment. Citizen watchdog groups have strongly recommended that real time off-site monitoring of the air take place when demolition of the Main Processing Building is carried out. (See Requests by Citizen Watchdog Groups below.) [“VIT DEMO V4” produced by DOE contractor CH2M HILL BWXT, WEST VALLEY, LLC. ; 12/19/2017 ; Runs: 4:28] 6. The decisions that will impact generations to come. This presentation produced by Diane D’Arrigo summarizes concerns by citizen watchdog groups and environmental experts who have been tracking developments at the West Valley nuclear waste site since the mid-1970s. Using original photographs and graphics, she presents the history of radioactive wastes at the site and concerns about the present and future storage of this hazardous material. Ms. D’Arrigo is a native of Western New York who now serves as the Radioactive Waste Project Director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). She has been with NIRS since 1986 and has a degree in chemistry and environmental studies as well as work experience in analytical chemistry and biological research. [NARRATED SLIDE PRESENTATION produced by Diane D’Arrigo, Radioactive Waste Project Director/Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) ; 5/18/2020 ; Runs: 20:25] Request by Citizen Watchdog Groups In 2006 the West Valley Action Network was created, comprised of local, state, regional, and international organizations. This network is pushing for a full cleanup of the West Valley nuclear waste site as soon as possible. It is providing public oversight for demolition, cleanup, and storage operations. The state and federal governments have commissioned a $4.3 million-dollar assessment study to determine the best way to proceed for the final cleanup phase. The study could take two to three more years to complete (2022-2023). As final plans are made, the Action Network is insisting on full disclosure of all information and assumptions used by the Department of Energy and the New York Energy Research and Development Authority to make decisions. The Network has also requested that a searchable electronic library be created to facilitate independent review of details. The next big physical challenge as of 2020 is the demolition of the main building where the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods took place from 1966 to 1972. The Action Network has called for the U.S. Department of Energy to provide the region with comprehensive real-time monitoring and reporting of the air — before, during, and after the demolition of the highly contaminated Main Plant Processing Building. One of the Action Network organizations, The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS), has issued warnings about the potential spread of radioactivity in the air and water downstream and downwind of the West Valley site. NIRS is an activist organization that supports renewable energy and opposes nuclear power. Diane D’Arrigo, a Western New York native who serves as the Radioactive Waste Director for NIRS, says the Main Plant Building may be “the most intensely radioactive building in the nuclear power and weapons fuel chain…” She points out that the D.O.E. and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the state agency responsible for the fifteen-acre burial site, “refuse to monitor offsite in real time…” She says, “The general population and local government officials are entitled to know if radioactivity has contaminated the air as the massive cleanup effort continues.” D’Arrigo warns that “some of the radioactivity from the West Valley site will stay radioactive for hundreds, thousands, millions of years--so the contamination is irreversible. Some long-lasting radioactivity from West Valley operations between 1966 and 1972 has been detected throughout Western New York on land and in water as far as Lake Ontario.” During the time the plant was active, there was a spill in the basement. Strontium 90, among many radioactive isotopes, made their way from the basement into the ground water. A radioactive plume is now a quarter of a mile long. The Department of Energy has used Zeolite, a special kind of clay, to absorb the radioactive material. This “interceptor wall” is 900 feet long and 20 feet deep. However, Joanne Hameister, a research analyst who has spent forty years representing the public’s interest at West Valley, notes that water has a way of rerouting itself. She believes removing the source of the leaking Strontium and the contaminated soil would be a better solution, although very costly. “If the plume keeps on moving,” she says, “it can hit a bunch of creeks. That plateau is loaded with creeks. They all lead into Buttermilk Creek, which drains into Cattaraugus Creek, which drains into Lake Erie. That is right around the corner from Sturgeon Point, where Erie County gets its water. Strontium 90 takes three hundred years to decay to levels that are more difficult to detect. Right now, there are no plans to remove the earth or massive network of pipes under the Main Processing Building when demolition is carried out. Hameister says she is also concerned about the workers who will take part in the project. “That place is hot. There has to be a lot of worker protection.” She also wants assurances there will be some kind of protective covering over the building while it is being dismantled. “They’ll be chopping up walls,” she says. “They have to monitor the excursion from the site during that process. You just don’t want that stuff flying around.” In addition, there is concern that soil erosion resulting from floods in 2009 is making its way closer to the trenches where radioactive waste is buried. Future flooding, say members of the West Valley Action Network, could potentially threaten releases of radioactive elements into brooks and creeks that eventually feed into Lake Erie. The Department of Energy installed an “armor wall” in 2019 to slow down the erosion. Hameister says the wall was installed without public input, which she says was a violation of the legal agreement between the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes and the Department of Energy. She questions whether there might be other issues to which the public isn’t aware. Response by U.S. Department of Energy (5/8/2020) Brian Bower/West Valley Demonstration Project Director, DOE The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management is continuing to make safe and steady progress with decommissioning activities at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). After successfully completing the solidification of 600,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) liquid into a highly durable glass material in 2006, the focus of the Project shifted to removing the old, highly contaminated reprocessing facilities and the facilities used in the solidification of the HLW. In 2018, DOE safely completed the demolition of the Vitrification Facility, a 50-foot tall, 10,000 square foot nuclear facility where the HLW was converted into glass. The demolition of the Vitrification Facility represented the largest and most complex demolition of a radioactively contaminated facility at the WVDP to date. Prior to that, the Department demolished the site’s 01-14 Building, a former building that treated processed off-gases from the Vitrification Facility and a number of support facilities. DOE is now preparing to embark on the demolition of the Main Plant Process Building (MPPB), the central facility used in the commercial spent nuclear fuel reprocessing operation. This facility is the largest and most contaminated building on the site. In preparing the MPPB for demolition, the Department of Energy removed a number of contaminated support facilities surrounding the MPPB, and completed extensive deactivation work inside the highly reinforced building before beginning the carefully planned, controlled and monitored demolition activity. The agency has also demolished over 40 additional site facilities and upgraded the site’s infrastructure to support the work, including the water supply, gas supply and distribution, electric service, and IT systems. Radiological, industrial, and environmental safety are foremost considerations in planning and executing demolition of the MPPB. The work planning process for the demolition of the MPPB brought to bear the extensive experience of the site’s workforce, industry best practices and lessons learned from the demolition of the Vitrification Facility and similar facilities across the country. Throughout the demolition work, onsite activities will be monitored and controlled in real-time to ensure worker, public and environmental safety. The Environmental Monitoring Program at the West Valley Demonstration Project has been part of the ongoing cleanup efforts since the beginning of the Project in 1982. The monitoring program includes sampling to evaluate the surface water, groundwater and air. Along with demolition air and radiation monitoring, on-site and off-site air, surface water, drinking water, sediment, soil, venison (deer), fish, milk, and food crop samples will be collected before, during, and after demolition. The goal of the extensive demolition activity air and radiation monitoring program is to detect any change in radiological conditions, so that work can be slowed, modified, or even stopped to protect employees, general public and the environment. The work is carefully planned and carried out such that all contamination is controlled within the boundaries of the demolition area. As DOE begins another important phase of the WVDP’s work at West Valley, we welcome all interested members of the public to attend our Quarterly Public Meetings and Citizen Task Force meetings to ask questions and hear about progress on this very important work. Site background information and all environmental information can also be found on the WVDP website at http://www.wv.doe.gov.
Murphy, Kurt (WIVB-TV Graphic Arts Director)
Vetter, Tom (Editor)
Pillittere, Joe (Communications Manager for West Valley contractor)
Bower, Brian (DOE Director for West Valley Demonstration Project)
Bembia, Paul (NYSERDA Director at West Valley)
Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Company, Buffalo Office & Lab Facilities, 1917-1919
World War (1914-1918)
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Aircraft industry--United States--History.
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (later Curtiss-Wright Corporation) was based in Hammondsport and Bath, NY until the rise in military orders required the expansion of manufacturing operations into the city of Buffalo, along with its headquarters. By the start of World War I, the company was the preeminent manufacturer of airplanes in the United States, with three factories in Buffalo and 18,000 employees.
Photographs belong to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum. Permission to digitize and display granted to the B&ECPL for the Buffalo Never Fails: The Queen City and World War I Exhibit. Additional information about the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum can be found at: https://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of digital)
Glenn H. Curtiss Museum
Digital image copyright 2017 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)
Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)
Dwyer, Cynthia.
Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981.
On April 10, 1980, Cynthia Dwyer, a 49 year old wife and mother of three young children, decided to travel to Iran to learn more about the revolution that had toppled the Shah, and to find out anything new about 52 people from the American Embassy in Tehran who had been taken hostage on November 4, 1979 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Mrs. Dwyer, a freelance writer and book editor, had obtained an Erie County Sheriff’s press card and had a long history of taking up causes of the underdog. Despite warnings that travel to Iran could be dangerous, she made the journey, only to be arrested on May 5th, 1980 and charged with being a spy for the CIA. She may have been set up for arrest by possible agents of the revolutionary government who had spoken to her of a plan to free five American hostages separated from the larger group. There had earlier been an aborted U.S. rescue attempt that ended with a helicopter crash and the loss of eight American service personnel. Inside the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, Mrs. Dwyer said she was subjected to about 50 hours of interrogation. She was quoted as saying she “heard executions of many Iranians accused of treason.” She later said she had lived in “constant fear of death” during her nine months of incarceration. On February 4, 1980, two weeks after the 52 hostages were released, Cynthia Dwyer was tried and convicted of espionage. She had been denied a lawyer and called the proceedings a “kangaroo trial…complete nonsense.” However, five days later, thanks, in part, to intervention by the Swiss government, Mrs. Dwyer was released by the Ayatollah Khomeini and expelled from Iran. She arrived at Kennedy Airport in New York on February 11, 1981 and was immediately reunited with her family. Her husband, John Dwyer, Chairman of the English Department at Buffalo State College, had kept Cynthia’s story in the headlines. WIVB-TV news reporter Rich Newberg had established a trusted relationship with the family and provided Buffalo, CNN, and CBS Newsfeed with updates during Mrs. Dwyer’s ten-month odyssey.
Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)
Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, editor)
Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)
Yearke, Don (Photographer)
WI/P&GA
The School of Printing and Graphic Arts of Wentworth Institute : Boston (Printer)
Daredevils--Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.)
John "David" Munday of Caistor Centre, Ontario fixed diesel engines for a living and enjoyed being alone. He also enjoyed the "adrenaline rush" of being a daredevil. He was the first person to survive two plunges over Niagara Falls in self-designed steel barrels. Munday was 48 years old when he first conquered the Falls on October 5, 1985. His second journey over the Horseshoe Falls and into the international record books took place on September 27, 1993. Between these two incredible feats, Munday decided to challenge the treacherous currents of the Great Gorge Rapids which feed into dangerous spinning waters of the notorious Whirlpool. In a less sophisticated 600 pound barrel made of high pressure steel pipe, Munday and his assistants eluded Niagara Parks Police and lowered the barrel into the swift currents of the rapids. His five minute harrowing journey on October 11, 1987 brought him to the Whirlpool. The world got a little more insight into the motivations and fears of this thrill seeker during a series of reports by WIVB-TV's Rich Newberg. The most amazing revelation was Dave Munday's confession that he is terrified of the water and can't swim.
Newberg, Rich
WIVB (Television Station : Buffalo, N.Y.)
Day of Sorrow, Year of Change : Remembrance at Ground Zero
September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001.
Commemorates the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Documents the stories of two Western New Yorkers who mourned the loss of loved ones and includes the reflections of Buffalo area paramedics and firefighters who responded to the crisis. Hosted by WIVB-TV Senior Correspondent at "ground zero" in New York City.
Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Host)
Vetter, Tom (Producer, Photographer, Editor)
Musial, Chris (Producer)
Schlaerth, Joseph (Executive Producer)
Lent, Pamm (Contributing Producer)
Schlaerth, Joe (Contributing Producer)
Flynn, Lisa (Contributing Reporter)
Richert, George (Contributing Reporter)
Beauchamp, Steve (Photographer, Editor)
Ersing, Rich (Photographer, Editor)
Baker, Boe (Contributing Photographer)
Root, Kim (Contributing Photographer)
Vinciguerra, Jerry (Graphic Artist)
Baxter, Tim (Imix Editor)
Mombrea, John (Imix Editor)
Battilana, Tony (Director)
Dadey, Kelly (Director)
Clemons, Michael (Technical Director)
Masse, Dave (Videotape Operator)
Benzel, Gary (Audio Engineer)
Brown, Dave (Chyron Graphics)
Serio, Sam (Master Control Operator)
Episcopal churches--New York (State)--Buffalo
Hospital administration
New York (State)--Amherst
African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo
The Reverend Lillian Davis-Wilson was ordained in the Diocese of WNY, to the diaconate on August 29, 2015. She is assigned to St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Buffalo, New York. Her ministry is in bereavement and loss. She started a bereavement and loss support group at St. Philip's and works with the Good Grief Support Group at Calvary Episcopal Church, in Williamsville, NY. She is a Spiritual Director from St. Joseph's Center of Spirituality, and she completed the 4year program of Theological Education for Ministry by the School of Theology, from the University of the South. She also studied at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. She earned her Master's Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Hospital Administration and Planning from NYU. Her Bachelor's Degree is in Sociology with a minor in Psychology and Secondary Education from The City College of New York. She is a Cradle Episcopalian and a native of NYC. Davis-Wilson leads the Episcopal Service at the Terrace View Long Term Care Facility. Her leadership has continually developed and grown working with the past four Bishops of western New York, and she has played a very active role on all levels of the church. In 2018 she was elected as the Provincial Clergy Representative to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church USA for 6 years. On Executive Council, she holds the title of Vice-Chair of the Joint Standing Committee of Mission Beyond the Episcopal Church. Additional roles on each level of the church are Episcopal Church USA: elected deputy to the general convention for 7 trienniums, vice-chair on the Standing Commission on National Concerns, selected as a member on 6 legislative committees. On the Province level: ECW Province President, and Synod Council's Planning Committee for 4 trienniums. On the Diocesan level: Diocesan Council member, Race, Justice team in the mission strategy advisory group, member of the Search Committee for the 11th Bishop of WNY, and elected Lay Director of WNY Cursillo to name a few. On the Parish level: Chaired the 10th-anniversary joint ministry program, search Committee Chair for Rector, Vestry Warden, and numerous other leadership roles. Before her ordination, in December 2011, Mrs. Davis-Wilson retired for the third time. As Deputy Town Clerk of Amherst, New York, She was mainly responsible for the fiduciary maintenance and management of the Town Bids, although she handled all aspects of the Town Clerk's office. Attributes include the establishment of a bid deposit identification system and the development of a tracking system for recommendations from the Erie County Planning Department. In 2012, she was recognized and awarded for her dedicated service as Deputy Town Clerk by the Amherst Town Board. She was the only African American employee in the Town of Amherst Office. In 2005, Mrs. Davis-Wilson retired as Executive Director of the St. Philip's Community Center. During her 6-year tenure, she secured an NYS Registration for the church's School Age Child Care Center and obtained a 5-year grant for $120,000 per year from the NYS Advantage After School Program. Attributes include the development of partnerships with public schools and community organizations which enhanced the social, cultural, and academic experiences, and developed civic participation in advocating for after-school programming and funding. she was the recipient of both the Leadership Award from Citizen Action of WNY and a Certificate of Recognition award by New York's Governor, George E Pataki. Davis-Wilson was a health care administrator, she held the positions of Director of Planning and Manager of Outpatient services for Erie County Medical Center. She came to Buffalo in 1983 as the Executive Director for the Geneva B. Scruggs Community Health Care Center. In August 1985 she developed and successfully opened the largest voluntary certified 59 bed ICF/MR in the state and became the largest employer of African Americans in the City. Attributes include increasing staff from 35 employees to 250, tripling patient care, and in 5 years increased revenues from six hundred thousand to 5.9 million dollars. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards for her excellent work in the health care arena, and has written a variety of articles, the last "A New Garden", a poem in Go Tell Michelle, SUNY, Press (2009). She is a member of Leadership Buffalo and was recognized as a Black Achiever. The Reverend Deacon, Retired Hospital and Human Service Administrator, Deputy Town Clerk, Community Leader, Activist, and local/National Episcopal Church leader are some of the titles that describe the career and professional experiences of Lillian J. Davis-Wilson. She is married to Herman Wilson, and she is a mother of 5, Grandmother of 7, and Great Grandmother of 2.
Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research & Education on Women, Inc.
Blanc, Yves-Richard
Death and Burial of President William McKinley. Index
Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)
McKinley, William, 1843-1901-Assassination.
Czolgosz, Leon F., 1873?-1901.
Typescript index to the scrapbooks chronicling the death and burial of President McKinley.
Danelson, James Edwin
Pan-American Exposition Scrapbooks, President William McKinley
Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)
Digital image copyright 2021 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Death and Burial of President William McKinley. Volume 1
Vol. 1 of 2 scrapbooks chronicling the death and burial of President McKinley. Included is the score (6 leaves) to Beautiful Island of Somewhere, which was sung at McKinley's funeral.
Danelson, James Edwin, Compiler
Death and Burial of President William McKinley. Volume 2
Vol. 2 of 2 scrapbooks chronicling the death and burial of President McKinley.
Déclaration des Députés d'Alsace-Lorraine. lue à l'Assemblée Nationale de Bordeaux le 1er Mars 1871, par M. Jules Grosjean, Député et Maire de Belfort.
[Jonas, Lucien, 1880-1947]
Dedication Program : Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, October 16 and 17, 1964
Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (N.Y.)--History
Libraries--New York (State)--Buffalo
Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (N.Y.)
Digital image copyright 2024 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Delaware Avenue, Entrance to Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N.Y. [1]
Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.
Photographic postcards.
Forest Lawn (Cemetery : Buffalo, N.Y.)
Cemeteries--New York (State)--Buffalo.
Photographic postcard of the Delaware entrance to the Forest Lawn Cemetery, with a driving car in the foreground.
Buffalo and & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of Digital)
Digital image copyright 2025 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
ENG
Delaware Avenue, Entrance to Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N.Y. [2]
Photographic postcard of the Delaware entrance to the Forest Lawn Cemetery, with a driving car in the foreground. The card is made out to [illegible].
Mr. Dillingham (author)
Fairy tales
William W. Denslow [1856-1915] illustrated his 1903 Jack and the Bean-stalk in his uniquely charming style that anyone familiar with the 1900 edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz will recognize. Denslow created illustrations for newspapers, magazines, posters and some books before becoming the first artist engaged by Elbert Hubbard at the Roycroft in East Aurora in the late 1890s.
Denslow, W. W. (William Wallace), 1856-1915
Digital image copyright 2020 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Deuxieme emprunt de la defense Nationale. Agriculteurs Francais!
Diary of a Soldier in the Year 1758-1759
Journal kept by James Henderson of Rutland, Vermont. Entries outline a march from Rutland to Ticonderoga, New York during French and English hostilities of the colonial period; give accounts of executions, accidents, skirmishes, and other interesting details of his life; list deaths in the company; and include a long description of Fort Ticonderoga.
Henderson, Jacob
Grosvenor Room of B&ECPL (repository)/Rare Book Room of B&ECPL (repository)
BF or BT