Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, United States. It became famous for having a landfill that was 0.28 km (0.11 square miles) in size. This landfill caused an environmental disaster discovered in 1977. People living nearby were harmed by exposure to toxic chemicals for many years. A cleanup effort, called a Superfund operation, took 21 years to complete.
In 1890, Love Canal was created as a planned community but was not fully built. In 1894, work began on a canal near the Niagara River to compete with another canal called the Welland Canal. This new canal was meant to connect Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, but only one mile (1.6 km) was dug before the project was left unfinished. In the 1920s, the area became a place where the city of Niagara Falls dumped trash. During the 1940s, Hooker Chemical Company bought the land and used it to dump 19,800 metric tonnes of waste from making dyes, perfumes, and solvents for rubber and synthetic resins.
In 1953, Love Canal was sold to the local school district for $1 due to a legal process called eminent domain. Over the next 30 years, the area became well-known for health problems linked to the toxic waste buried there. Many families were forced to leave their homes and suffered from ongoing health issues, including high white blood cell counts and leukemia. In 1980, the federal government passed the Superfund law to address such environmental problems. The cleanup effort ended in 2004, and the neighborhood was destroyed.
In 1988, David Axelrod, the New York State Department of Health Commissioner, said the Love Canal incident was "a national symbol of a failure to exercise a sense of concern for future generations." The event was significant because it showed how people lived near dangerous waste instead of the waste affecting them.
Geography
Love Canal was a neighborhood located in the city of Niagara Falls in western New York state. It covered 36 blocks in the far southeastern corner of the city, extending from 93rd Street on the west to 100th Street on the east and 103rd Street in the northeast. Griffon Manor was directly west and across the street from Love Canal. Bergholtz Creek formed the northern border, while the Niagara River marked the southern border one-quarter mile (400 m) away. The LaSalle Expressway separated an uninhabited area in the south from the northern part of the neighborhood. The canal occupied 16 acres (6.5 ha) of land in the central eastern portion.
Early history, canal dig, 1894–1940
In 1890, William T. Love, a former railroad lawyer, created plans for a planned urban community with parks and homes along the shore of Lake Ontario. Love, who later became known for similar real-estate projects, said the plan would provide hydroelectricity to support growing industries in the area. He named the project Model City, New York.
After 1892, Love’s plan included a shipping route that would avoid the Niagara River and its Niagara Falls, competing with the existing Welland Canal to the west of the river. This route would connect Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. He secured financial support from banks in New York City, Chicago, and England. In October 1893, the first factory opened. In May 1894, work on the canal began. Steel companies and other manufacturers showed interest in building factories near Love Canal. Love started digging the canal and building some streets and homes.
The Panic of 1893 caused investors to stop supporting the project. In 1906, environmental groups successfully pushed Congress to pass a law to protect Niagara Falls, banning the removal of water from the Niagara River. Only one mile (1.6 km) of the canal was completed, about 50 feet (15 m) wide and 10–40 feet (3–12 m) deep, stretching north from the Niagara River.
The Panic of 1907, along with advances in sending electricity over long distances, made hydroelectric power available far from water sources. This development hurt the remaining Model City plan. In 1910, the last property owned by Love’s company was sold at public auction after being taken due to debt. By then, Love had left the United States in 1897 and later tried similar projects in Washington, Illinois, and Delaware.
After the project was abandoned, the canal slowly filled with water. Local children used it for swimming in summer and skating in winter. In the 1920s, the city of Niagara Falls used the canal as a place to dump waste.
Industry and tourism grew steadily during the first half of the 20th century because of high demand for industrial products and easier travel. Major industries in the city included paper, rubber, plastics, petrochemicals, carbon insulators, and abrasives.
When the landfill closed in 1952, Niagara Falls was experiencing economic success, and the population had grown by 31% in twenty years (1940–1960), increasing from 78,020 to 102,394.
Hooker Chemical Company, 1940s–1952
By the end of the 1940s, Hooker Chemical Company needed a place to get rid of a large amount of chemical waste. In 1942, the Niagara Power and Development Company allowed Hooker to dump waste into a canal. The canal was emptied and covered with thick clay. Hooker then placed 55-gallon (210 L) drums of waste into this site. In 1947, Hooker bought the canal and the 70-foot-wide (21 m) areas next to it. Later, it turned the site into a 16-acre (6.5 ha) landfill.
In 1948, the City of Niagara Falls stopped handling its own waste, and Hooker Chemical became the only company using and owning the site.
In early 1952, when it became clear that the site might be used for building, Hooker stopped using Love Canal as a dump. Over 10 years, the landfill held 21,800 short tons (19,800 t) of chemicals, mostly made from substances like caustics, alkalines, fatty acids, and chlorinated hydrocarbons used in making dyes, perfumes, and solvents for rubber and synthetic resins. These chemicals were buried 20 to 25 feet (6 to 7.5 m) deep. When the landfill closed, the canal was covered with clay to stop leaks. Over time, plants and grass grew on top of the site.
By the 1950s, the population of Niagara Falls had grown. The city needed more space, so the Niagara Falls City School District tried to buy the land from Hooker Chemical. By the 1950 census, the city’s population had reached more than 98,000.
Sale of the site, 1952
In March 1951, the school board created a plan to build a school over the Love Canal and listed prices for taking over nearby properties. In March 1952, the superintendent of the Niagara Falls School Board asked Hooker about buying the Love Canal property to build a new school. Later, on March 27, 1952, Bjarne Klaussen, Hooker’s vice president, wrote to the works manager suggesting it might be best to stop using the Love Canal property as a dumping ground. In April 1952, after talking with Hooker’s legal advisor, Ansley Wilcox II, Klaussen wrote to Hooker’s president, R.L. Murray, saying that selling the land might help avoid future legal problems from buried chemicals.
While the school board took over some nearby properties, Hooker agreed to sell its Love Canal property to the school board for $1. Hooker’s letter to the board said that because of the land’s history, the deed would need special rules about how the land could be used. The school board did not agree to the company’s idea that the land should only be used as a park, with the school built nearby.
In 1953, Hooker gave the Love Canal site to the school board for $1, including a clause that limited the company’s legal responsibility. The sale document signed on April 28, 1953, had a seventeen-line warning that claimed the company would not be legally responsible for future lawsuits.
Critics believe Hooker gave the school board a continuing responsibility to protect future property buyers from chemicals, even though Hooker itself did not accept such a duty. The transfer ended any previous security or maintenance for the hazardous waste and placed all responsibility on unqualified hands. Critics argue this decision would later affect Hooker and other chemical companies through laws that hold companies responsible for pollution. However, Eric Zuesse says Hooker sold the land instead of letting the school board take it over to document its warnings. Hooker claimed that if the land had been taken over, the company would not have been able to warn future owners about the dangers.
After taking control of the land, the Niagara Falls School Board started developing it, including construction that caused containment structures to break in several places, letting chemicals escape. Heavy rainstorms combined with these breaches spread the chemical waste, creating a public health emergency and an urban planning scandal. In a test case for legal clauses, Hooker Chemical was found "negligent" in how it disposed of waste, though not reckless in selling the land. The local newspaper, the Niagara Falls Gazette, investigated the site from 1976 until people had to leave in 1978.
Construction of the 93rd Street School and the 99th Street School, 1952–1955
Despite the warning, the School Board started building the 99th Street School in its original planned location. In January 1954, the school's architect wrote to the education committee, explaining that workers found two areas filled with 55-gallon drums holding chemical waste during digging work. The architect also said it would be "not a good idea" to build there because the types of waste in the ground were unknown, and the concrete base of the school might be harmed. The School Board then moved the school site 80 to 85 feet (24 to 26 meters) north. The kindergarten playground was also moved because it was directly above a chemical waste area.
The school finished construction in 1955 and had 400 students. It opened at the same time as several other schools built to serve students. That year, a 25-foot (7.6-meter) section of the school broke apart, exposing chemical drums. These drums filled with water during rainstorms, creating large puddles that children liked to play in. In 1955, a second school, the 93rd Street School, was built six blocks away.
Home construction, 1950s
In late 1957 or early 1958, the school district sold the remaining land. Private developers and the Niagara Falls Housing Authority built homes on this land. A Hooker attorney, Arthur Chambers, warned the school board that chemical waste had been dumped in the area. He said the land was not safe for construction where underground systems, like water lines, would be needed. His company could not stop the board from selling the land, but Hooker wanted the property to be used for a school and parking. Hooker also hoped the land would not be divided for homes and that no one would be harmed.
In 1957, the city of Niagara Falls built sewers for low-income and single-family homes near the landfill. Workers removed part of the clay layer that protected the landfill to use as fill dirt for a school and to build water lines and the LaSalle Expressway. This damaged the clay walls of the landfill. When rainwater entered through the cracks, it carried toxic waste through the gaps in the walls. This allowed chemicals to move and leak from the landfill.
The land where homes were built was not part of the agreement between the school board and Hooker. Residents did not know about the landfill’s history. Builders dug through waste barrels to create foundations, water lines, and basements. No tests were done to check for chemicals underground. The clay cover, which was meant to stop water from passing through, began to crack. The LaSalle Expressway blocked groundwater from flowing into the Niagara River. After a very wet winter and spring in 1962, the expressway caused the breached landfill to flood. People reported seeing oil or colored liquids in their yards or basements.
By the 1970s, the Love Canal area had become a suburb with homes, schools, and churches. It was close to the city center and had access to shopping and leisure areas via the expressway. Census data showed the area had higher-than-average income levels and many young children in households. Less than 3% of homes were unoccupied due to new construction. In 1976, a report ranked Love Canal as the fourth-best area in Niagara Falls for "social well-being." By 1978, 800 private homes and 240 low-income apartments had been built. Before the environmental crisis became public, developers planned to build more homes. In 1978, there were 410 children in the local school.
Lead-up and discovery, 1970s
Residents were concerned about black fluid that came from the Love Canal. For many years, people had reported bad smells and strange materials in their yards and at public playgrounds. In the end, the city took action and hired a company called Calspan Corporation to conduct a detailed study. In January 1977, a heavy snowstorm brought 33–45 inches (84–114 cm) of snow, which raised the water level in the ground. This extra water mixed with groundwater and increased the height of harmful substances, such as dioxin. During the spring of 1977, the State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation started a program to test air, soil, and groundwater after finding organic compounds in the basements of 11 homes near the Love Canal. It was also found that at the time, rules did not require companies to install a liner to stop harmful materials from leaking, a practice that became common later.
Many harmful substances were placed in the landfill, including chlorinated hydrocarbon residues, treated sludge, fly ash, and other materials, such as household waste.
Tests showed dangerous levels of toxic vapors linked to over 80 different compounds coming from the basements of homes closest to the Love Canal. Ten of the most common and harmful compounds, including benzene, which is known to cause cancer, were chosen for further study to help identify other chemicals.
Laboratory tests of soil and sediment from the Love Canal found more than 200 different organic chemical compounds. About 100 of these have been identified so far.
Many other chemicals seeped into the ground. Some of the chemicals and harmful materials found included benzene, chloroform, toluene, dioxin, and various types of PCB.
Health effects
At first, scientific studies did not clearly show that chemicals caused the illnesses of Love Canal residents. Scientists disagreed about this, even though eleven known or suspected cancer-causing chemicals had been found in the area. One of the most common chemicals was benzene. Another dangerous chemical, dioxin (polychlorinated dibenzodioxins), was also found in the water. Dioxin pollution is usually measured in parts per trillion. At Love Canal, water samples showed dioxin levels of 53 parts per billion (53,000 parts per trillion). Geologists were brought in to investigate whether underground water channels carried chemicals to nearby homes. Once chemicals reached homes, they could seep into basements and enter the air inside homes.
In 1979, the EPA reported that blood tests of Love Canal residents showed higher than normal white blood cell counts, which can be a sign of leukemia, and chromosome damage. About 33% of residents had chromosome damage, compared to 1% in the general population. Some other studies did not find harm. In 1991, the United States National Research Council (NRC) reviewed health studies from Love Canal. The NRC found that groundwater, not drinking water, was the main source of exposure. Groundwater "seeped into basements" and caused exposure through air and soil. Some studies found more low-birth weight babies and birth defects among exposed residents. Evidence suggested these issues improved after exposure stopped. The NRC also noted a study showing exposed children had more seizures, learning problems, hyperactivity, eye irritation, skin rashes, stomach pain, and incontinence, along with slower growth. Voles in the area had much shorter lives than voles not exposed to chemicals. Exposed voles lived about 23.6 to 29.2 days on average, while unexposed voles lived about 48.8 days. New York State continues to study the health of Love Canal residents. In 1991, the Albert Elia Building Co., Inc., now known as Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc., was chosen to safely re-bury toxic waste at the Love Canal site.
According to the EPA, in 1979, Love Canal residents had a "disturbingly high rate of miscarriages." Love Canal is now part of a list of environmental disasters involving toxic chemicals, such as illnesses in workers and the discovery of harmful chemicals in nursing mothers’ milk. In one family, two of four children had birth defects. One girl was born deaf, with a cleft palate (a birth defect where the roof of the mouth does not close properly), extra teeth, and mild intellectual disability. A boy was born with an eye defect.
Awareness
In 1976, two reporters from the Niagara Falls Gazette, David Pollak and David Russell, tested several sump pumps near Love Canal and found toxic chemicals in them. The Gazette published reports in October 1976 and November 1976 that described chemical analyses of residues near the old Love Canal dumpsite. These analyses showed the presence of 15 organic chemicals, including three toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons.
For more than a year, the issue was not widely discussed. In early 1978, reporter Michael Brown revived the matter by investigating potential health effects. He conducted an informal door-to-door survey, wrote over 100 news articles about toxic wastes in the area, and found birth defects and other unusual physical traits, such as enlarged feet, heads, hands, and legs. Brown encouraged local residents to form a protest group, which was organized by Karen Schroeder, a resident whose daughter had about a dozen birth defects. The New York State Health Department later found a higher number of miscarriages in the area.
Brown discovered the full size of the canal, the presence of dioxin, the growing contamination, and the involvement of the U.S. Army to some extent. Hooker Chemical Company threatened to sue him, and Brown fought the company for many years, including appearances on the Today Show. His book, Laying Waste: The Poisoning of America By Toxic Chemicals, was the first written on the topic of toxic wastes and caused widespread public attention. Articles he wrote for The New York Times Magazine and The Atlantic Monthly also increased awareness. Brown also uncovered a large dump called the Hyde Park landfill (or Bloody Run) and the "S-Area," which was leaking into Niagara Falls’ water supply. His work inspired many activists, and he spoke about toxic waste for ten years on college lecture circuits.
In September 1977, Congressman John LaFalce (D), who represented the district, visited Love Canal to highlight the serious problems there. He worked to involve city, state, and federal officials, as well as Hooker executives, to take action quickly. However, he faced resistance, lack of interest, and delays.
By 1978, Love Canal had become a major national media event. Articles described the neighborhood as "a public health time bomb" and "one of the most appalling environmental tragedies in American history." Brown, who worked for the Niagara Gazette, is credited with exposing the Love Canal case and bringing the issue of toxic chemical waste to national attention. His book, Laying Waste, examined the Love Canal disaster and other toxic waste incidents across the country.
On August 2, 1978, the dumpsite was declared an unprecedented state of emergency. Brown, who wrote over 100 articles about the dump, tested the groundwater and later found the dump was three times larger than originally thought, with possible effects beyond the original evacuation zone. He also confirmed the presence of toxic dioxins at the site.
Activism tactics
Activism at Love Canal was led by community members, including both homeowners and renters, though they did not work together closely. Tom Heiser and Lois Gibbs were well-known in the media for opposing Hooker Chemical. White women played the most visible and active roles in the movement. Residents of Griffon Manor received less media attention and less help from the government and community because of racism and classism, but they still organized their own efforts to address their concerns.
In addition to organizing and pushing authorities for action, residents used direct-action methods. Some people tested their own communities for chemicals. Tactics included planned protests and rallies to gain media attention. These events involved actions like mothers pushing strollers during demonstrations, pregnant women marching, and children holding signs. Notably, two EPA employees were held hostage by activists for about five hours at the Love Canal Homeowners Association (LCHA) office to draw attention to their demands.
Many groups formed in response to the Love Canal crisis, each focusing on different issues. The Love Canal Homeowners Association (LCHA) mainly included white mothers and homeowners. Other important groups were the Ecumenical Taskforce (ETF), made up of local religious groups; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and the Concerned Love Canal Renters Association (CLCRA).
On August 2, 1978, Lois Gibbs, a local mother who organized an election to lead the Love Canal Homeowners’ Association, began rallying homeowners. Her son, Michael Gibbs, started school in September 1977. He developed epilepsy, asthma, a urinary tract infection, and had a low white blood cell count, all linked to chemical waste exposure. Gibbs learned from a neighbor that her neighborhood was built on buried chemical waste.
In the years that followed, Gibbs worked to investigate health concerns in the community. She and others reported strange smells and unusual substances in their yards. In her neighborhood, many people had unexplained illnesses, miscarriages, and intellectual disabilities. Basements were often covered in thick black material, and plants were dying. Only shrubby grasses grew in some yards. City officials were asked to investigate but did not act. Niagara Falls mayor Michael O'Laughlin claimed there was "nothing wrong" in Love Canal.
After more research, Gibbs discovered the chemical dangers near the canal. This started her group’s two-year effort to prove that Hooker Chemical’s waste caused health problems. Throughout this time, residents’ concerns were ignored by Hooker Chemical (now part of Occidental Petroleum) and government officials. These groups claimed health issues were unrelated to the chemicals. Since residents could not prove the chemicals came from Hooker’s site, they could not prove legal responsibility. During the legal battles, residents could not sell their homes or move away.
Despite efforts to be heard in the media and included in the LCHA, Black women from Griffon Manor formed the Concerned Love Canal Renters Association (CLCRA) in late 1978. These women, including mothers and grandmothers, continued fighting against pollution and racism in government and media. Elene Thornton, a leader in this group, organized testing events for Griffon Manor residents. William Abrams Sr., a former resident of Griffon Manor and president of the Niagara Falls NAACP chapter in 1978, pushed for fair treatment of renters during Love Canal investigations.
The CLCRA focused on ensuring fair chemical testing for all residents and providing financial help for those who wanted to leave. When the New York government agreed to buy homes in the affected area, Griffon Manor residents, mostly renters, were overlooked. In 1980, a group called LCARA (Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency) gave $500,000 to renters and $17.5 billion to homeowners before any decisions were made about helping renters.
Local religious groups in Niagara and surrounding areas formed the Ecumenical Task Force of the Niagara Frontier (ETF) in 1979 to help residents affected by chemical waste. Operating until 1991, the ETF shifted from providing basic disaster relief to becoming a group focused on environmental advocacy and working with government institutions. Members of the ETF expressed frustration with poor government relief efforts and concerns about racism among white homeowners in the LCHA and local officials. They supported Griffon Manor tenants, who they felt were ignored and discriminated against by others in the community.
Federal response, 1978–2004
On August 7, 1978, United States President Jimmy Carter declared a federal health emergency. He requested the use of federal funds and directed the Federal Disaster Assistance Agency to help the City of Niagara Falls fix the Love Canal site. This was the first time in American history that emergency money was used for a problem that was not caused by a natural disaster. Carter ordered the digging of trenches to move waste to sewers and sealed home sump pumps to stop waste from leaking.
Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund Act. Love Canal became the first site listed under this law. CERCLA required taxes on chemical and petroleum industries and gave the federal government the power to clean up dangerous materials that could harm people or the environment. It also created a National Priorities List, which is a shorter list of sites that need cleanup first. Love Canal was the first site on this list. The Love Canal site was cleaned and removed from the list in 2004. Because CERCLA included a "retroactive liability" rule, the company Occidental was held responsible for cleaning up the waste, even though it had followed all U.S. laws when it disposed of the waste.
Aftermath
In the late 1970s, Eckardt C. Beck, who was the EPA Administrator for Region 2 from 1977 to 1979, visited Love Canal and noticed the presence of harmful chemicals in the area. Robert Whalen, then New York’s Health Commissioner, also visited Love Canal and said the site was an emergency. He stated that the Love Canal Chemical Waste Landfill was a public nuisance and a serious danger to the health and safety of people living nearby. He noted that chemical waste was exposed on the ground, and harmful vapors and fumes were affecting the air and homes of residents. Whalen told people to avoid entering their basements and not to eat fruits or vegetables grown in their gardens. Many residents were worried because they had eaten produce from their gardens for years. He also urged that all pregnant women and children under two be moved away from Love Canal as soon as possible.
The 99th Street School was located within the old Hooker Chemical landfill site. The school was closed about two years later and later torn down because of concerns about toxic waste seeping into the ground. However, the school board and the chemical company denied responsibility for the pollution and refused to pay for the cleanup or damages caused by the site.
At first, the homeowners’ association struggled because there was little public interest in Love Canal. They faced opposition from two groups that claimed the chemical company was not negligent in how it handled waste. Some residents resisted efforts by Gibbs to help the community. Eventually, the federal government moved more than 800 families and gave them money for their homes. The state and federal governments spent $15 million to buy 400 homes near Love Canal and demolished several rows of houses.
In 1994, Federal District Judge John Curtin ruled that Hooker/Occidental had been careless in handling waste and selling the land to the Niagara Falls School Board. His decision included a detailed account of events leading to the Love Canal disaster. In 1995, Occidental Petroleum agreed to pay $129 million to the EPA as part of a lawsuit. This money helped fund a small health fund and a $3.5 million study on health effects. Residents also received settlements from lawsuits filed after the disaster.
A report by the Department of Justice stated that the Love Canal site had been cleaned up and was safe for use again. The Love Canal Area Revitalization Authority (LCARA) sold some abandoned homes to private buyers. By 1989, most cleanup work, except for the leachate collection system, was completed.
Houses on the east and west sides of the canal were demolished. Only abandoned streets remain on the west side. Some older residents on the east side, whose homes still stand in the demolished neighborhood, chose to stay. Fewer than 90 of the original 900 families remained. These residents stayed only if they were assured their homes were in a safe area. In 1980, the state government created LCARA to restore the area. The area north of Love Canal became known as Black Creek Village. LCARA aimed to resell 300 homes purchased by New York when residents were relocated. These homes were farther from the chemical waste. The most toxic area (16 acres) was covered with a thick plastic liner, clay, and dirt. A 7-foot-10-inch-high barbed wire fence was built around the site. Over 248 chemicals, including 130 pounds of dioxins, were found at the site.
In 1998, Elizabeth Whelan, founder of the American Council on Science and Health, wrote that media reports had labeled Love Canal a “public health time bomb,” causing some fear. She claimed people were not getting sick from chemical exposure but from stress caused by media coverage. A study 20 years after the disaster found that children born near Love Canal had twice the rate of birth defects and increased risks of low birth weight, birth defects, and other health problems.
Love Canal, along with Times Beach, Missouri, and the Valley of the Drums, Kentucky, played a key role in the creation of the CERCLA (Superfund Act). Love Canal became a symbol of the dangers of hazardous waste being left in residential areas.
Love Canal was not the only case of this kind. Eckardt C. Beck suggested there were likely hundreds of similar dumpsites. President Carter called discovering these sites “one of the grimmest discoveries of the modern era.” Beck noted that chemical companies often change ownership, making it hard to assign responsibility for cleanup. He argued that stronger controls were needed to prevent future disasters like Love Canal.
Some free market activists said the Love Canal disaster showed government officials failed to take responsibility for their decisions. Professor Richard Stroup wrote that the school district, which owned the land, aimed to provide cheap education but did not consider broader social impacts.
In 2004, federal officials announced the Superfund cleanup was complete, though it had ended years earlier. The cleanup took 21 years and cost $400 million. About 260 homes north of the canal were renovated and sold, and 150 acres east of the canal were sold for commercial use. A total of 950 families were evacuated. The site was removed from the Superfund list on September 30, 2004.
After relocation, Love Canal was buried under a plastic liner, clay, and topsoil in a fenced area declared permanently off-limits. Many abandoned homes were also demolished. The rest of the area was declared safe by the EPA, and the Love Canal Revitalization Agency took ownership of the properties, fixing them up and selling them.
Starting in 1990, 260 homes were renovated with new siding, roofs, and windows and sold at prices 20% below market value. These homes were renamed “Black Creek Village.” By 1998, 232 of 239 renovated homes had been sold. New residents felt safe due to extensive testing and the promise of “cleaned-up land and affordable homes.” For example, Dan and Teresa Reynolds bought a 4-bedroom home in the neighborhood.
Controversies related to Wheatfield landfill
Beginning in the 1970s, efforts were made to clean up the Love Canal site. During this process, contaminated waste was moved to other locations. Waste equal to the amount in 80 dump trucks was removed and sent to incinerators in other states. However, some of this waste was also taken to a landfill near Wheatfield, a town located on the border of Wheatfield and North Tonawanda. This landfill was operated by the Niagara Sanitation Company from 1964 to 1968 to handle waste from local businesses, including Carborundum, Bell Aerospace, and Frontier Chemical. People living near the landfill often reported problems such as strong smells, visible waste, discolored water, and unsafe conditions, especially for children. In 1965, residents wrote to local officials, asking for the area to be fenced.
In 1968, during the construction of the LaSalle Expressway in Niagara Falls, Love Canal waste was uncovered and transported to the Wheatfield landfill. In 1982, a local newspaper article first revealed that Love Canal waste had been placed in the Wheatfield landfill. Local officials dismissed residents’ concerns as unnecessary worry. Over the following years, many people living near the landfill developed serious health issues, including cancer, lupus, and other unexplained illnesses that doctors could not explain. In 2012, the state Department of Environmental Conservation changed its position, stating that cleaning up the landfill was needed. In 2014, the DEC required Glenn Springs Holdings, a company owned by Occidental and responsible for managing the Love Canal site, to pay for removing the Love Canal waste from the landfill. In December 2015, the landfill was officially designated a Superfund site.
A 2017 lawsuit claimed that Hooker, a company, had built a brine pipeline along the edge of the landfill to transport brine from Wyoming County to a plant in Niagara Falls. This pipeline may have created a path for waste in the landfill to leak into the ground. Interestingly, some residents who lived near the landfill had previously been forced to leave their homes in Love Canal due to the contamination.