Unit 3, Bonebrake Seminary

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Department of Energy Sites
Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP)

Dayton Unit III, Bonebrake Seminary, Dayton, Ohio

Dayton Sites Bonebrake Seminary Map
Dayton, Ohio

Dayton Unit III is located at 1601 West First Street in Dayton, Ohio. The property is currently used as a maintenance facility by the Dayton Board of Education. Also included as part of Dayton Unit III is Grace A. Greene Elementary School, which is located across the street (Edison) and to the north of the site. The school grounds include an athletic field and track.

In 1943 the federal government leased the site from the Dayton School Board to process radioactive polonium-210 for potential use in the Manhattan Project. In 1948, the project was moved to Mound Laboratories in Miamisburg, Ohio and operations at Dayton Unit III ceased in 1949. By 1950 the site was decontaminated and returned to the Dayton Board of Education.

In 1997 and 1998 Ohio EPA conducted soil screening surveys with the assistance of Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) - Mound. Sampling results indicated elevated concentrations of polonium-210 in soil with a maximum concentration of 21 pCi/g. Sampling results from the school grounds were not elevated.

In 1999, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) determined that the Dayton Unit III site
was eligible for inclusion into FUSRAP. A Preliminary Assessment (PA), completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in September 2000, recommended conducting a Site Inspection at Dayton Unit III to assess the type, quantity, and extent of any potential radiological contaminants on site.

The USACE performed a Site Inspection (SI) in September 2002. The SI included:

• A radiological survey to locate potential areas of elevated gamma activity to aid in the selection of biased soil sampling.
• Soil boring and sampling program at representative and biased locations across the site.
• Sediment sampling of floor drains and street manholes.
• Concrete core and swipe samples of a former building slab located on the seminary site.
• Laboratory analysis of 39 soil samples, nine sediment samples, seven concrete core samples, and four swipe samples for total lead, Pb-210, and Ra-226.

The USACE submitted the SI Report in December 2004. The Corps determined based on the findings of the Site Investigation that no further action is required at the Dayton III site.

Ohio EPA does not concur with the Corps conclusion. Ohio EPA has recommended additional sampling to determine the nature and extent of the elevated concentrations of Pb-210 present in the floor drains and storm sewers.

Read/download the Site Inspection Report, Dayton Unit III, December 2004.

For questions concerning FUSRAP sites contact : Brian Nickel (937.285.6468)

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