Love Canal

Timeline created by snogoose in History

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Event Date:	Event Title:	Event Description:
30th May, 1890	William Love's model city	William T. Love plans a model city for the Niagara River area. He convinces the legislature to build a power-generating canal near Lake Ontario to encourage industrial growth. View larger image
15th Sep, 1896	Model City abandoned	William Love abandoned his model city and canal plan. Tesla's discovery of alternating current made industrial locations near water-powered electricity less important to manufacturing. Congress also passed environmental legislation that protected waterfalls, making it more difficult to divert water from the river. View larger image
1st Jan, 1909	Founding of Hooker Electrochemical	Elon Hooker starts the Hooker Electrochemical Company in the Niagara Falls area. They employ 75 workers and manufacture chlorine and caustic soda.
1st Jan, 1927	Love Canal is annexed by Niagara Falls	The Love Canal is annexed by the city. The abandoned canal is 500 m from the Niagara River and drains directly into it by means of a trench. Residents fish and swim in the canal. View larger image
15th Sep, 1942	Hooker begins depositing waste into Love Canal	Niagara Power and Development Company, Love Canal's owners, give hooker Electrochemical permission to dispose of wastes in the canal. View larger image
15th Sep, 1953	Hooker sells Love Canal	Hooker transfers the Love Canal site to the Niagara Falls Board of Education for $1.
15th Sep, 1954	School construction begins	Construction of the 99th Street Elementary School and playground begin. Drainpipes are sunk for the school and for new homes going up around the area. View larger image
15th Sep, 1957	Residual chemicals appear	Residual chemicals from the canal seep to the surface. Strange skin rashes appear on pets and children who walk barefoot on the ground. Odors are bad. View larger image
15th Sep, 1960	Land parcels sold	Board of education gives 6.6 acres of the site to the city for a park. View larger image
22nd May, 1976	First DEC visit	DEC visits Love Canal area while investigating suspected discharges of Mirex by Hooker. Encourage Niagara Falls to develop an environmental abatement plan for the area. View larger image
6th Sep, 1977	LaFalce tour	Congressman John LaFalce first tours the Canal & urges the EPA to take action. View larger image
7th Oct, 1977	DEC asks for air sampling in homes	The DEC asks the EPA to sample air in basements abutting the Canal. View larger image
12th Nov, 1977	Complaints to Niagara Falls City Council	Two homeowners complain to city council about chemical contamination but get no help.
31st Dec, 1977	Heavy Rain causes more seepage	Heavy rains in 1976 & 1977 cause significant increases of waste seepage. View larger image
7th Mar, 1978	EPA results	epartment of Health first lean of the EPA results showing toxic chemicals in basements. View larger imageD
13th Apr, 1978	Department of Health tours dumpsite	Commissioner Robert Whalen & David Axelrod of the NYS Department of Health, along with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner and others, tour the dumpsite.
25th Apr, 1978	Directive to Niagara County health commissioner on Love Canal	Commissioner Whalen directs Niagara County health commissioner to cover exposed chemicals, fence the area, and conduct need studies. View larger image
15th May, 1978	EPA announces serious health threat	The EPA publicly reports that air sampling in basement homes along the Canal suggest a serious health threat from chemicals. View larger image
19th May, 1978	First public meeting for Love Canal residents	State officials hold the first of several public meetings, initially to tell residents that health & environmental studies will begin immediately. View larger image
28th May, 1978	Neighbor Organizing begins	Homeowner Karen Schroeder begins organizing neighbors. View larger image
7th Jun, 1978	Lois Gibbs	View larger imageLois Gibbs becomes active.
20th Jun, 1978	Whalen orders fencing & chemicals removal	Health Commissioner Whalen orders Niagara County health commissioner to remove exposed wastes & fence the site. View larger image
20th Jul, 1978	Funding for health studies on Love Canal	Govenor Hugh Carey signs a law giving Health Commissioner Whalen power, in case of an emergrancy, to spend $500,000 on health studies at Love Canal.
2nd Aug, 1978	Emergency declared	View larger imageHealth Commissioner Whalen declares an emergency at Love Canal & recommends temporary relocation from the inner rings of pregnant women & children under two. Govenor Carey appoints Love Canal Task Force to assist families. Residents nearly riot.
4th Aug, 1978	Love Canal Homeowners Association	View larger imageLove Canal Homeowners Association is formed.
7th Aug, 1978	Inner ring homes to be purchased	Governor Carey tells residents that the state will buy the inner-ring homes. View larger image
10th Oct, 1978	Remedial construction begins	Remedial construction begins on the southern end of the Canal. View larger image
8th Feb, 1979	Outer ring relocation begins	New Health Commissioner Axelrod recommends temporary relocation from the outer rings of pregnant women & children under two, & orders continued health & environmental studies & extension of remedial construction to the central & northern sections of the Canal. View larger image
29th Mar, 1979	"The Killing Ground"	ABC television features Love Canal in hour-long special on toxic waste.
8th May, 1979	Congress holds hearings	U.S. House & Senate committees hear testimony on Love Canal.
17th Aug, 1979	Love Canal residents put up in hotels	Complaining of fumes from the remedial construction, up to 425 Love Canal residents are temporarily relocated to hotels at state expense. View larger image
17th May, 1980	EPA study results announced	EPA announces the results of a study that found chromosome damage in 11 of the 36 Love Canal residents tested. Papers pick up the story. View larger image
19th May, 1980	EPA hostages	Two EPA officials are taken "hostage" by Lois Gibbs. View larger image
21st May, 1980	Outer RIng relocation	The EPA announces that President Carter has declared an emergency to permit federal & state governments to temporarily relocate approximately 700 families from the outer rings. View larger image
18th Jun, 1980	Love Canal Revitalization Agency	Governor Carey signs a law creating the Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency (LCARA), charged with returning the neighborhood to livable status. View larger image
1st Oct, 1980	Outer Ring homes purchased	President Carter signs a federal-state agreement that allows for purchase of the outer-ring homes.
12th Dec, 1980	Superfund Law	President Carter signs the Superfund Law to aid cleanup of toxic waste sites. View larger image
8th May, 1982	Love Canal declared habitable	An EPA study leads to the decision that the Canal area is habitable. View larger image
8th Jun, 1982	Houses Razed	Abandoned homes in Rings 1 & 2 are razed. View larger image
8th Jun, 1983	EPA habitability study criticized	The Congressional Office of Technology Assessment criticizes the EPA habitability study.
23rd Feb, 1988	Occidental found liable	View larger imageU.S. District Court Judge John Curtin finds Occidental Petroleum (Hooker's parent company) liable under the Superfund law for the Canal's leaking.
27th Sep, 1988	Most of the Canal area suitable for living in	Health Commissioner Axelrod declares most of the Canal area suitable to live in.
13th Jun, 1990	LCARA resettlement plan	LCARA adopts a master plan for resettling the neighborhood. View larger image
15th Aug, 1990	Homes go up for sale	View larger imageLCARA puts ten homes up for sale. Protests ensue.
8th Mar, 1994	Hooker does not pay punitive damages	Judge Curtin rules that Hooker does not have to pay punitive damages.
8th Oct, 1996	234 homes sold	Virtually all the 234 homes north of Colvin Boulevard in the neighborhood now called Black Creek Village, are refurbished & sold to new occupants.
10th Jul, 2003	LCARA goes out of business	LCARA formally goes out of business. Residents of Black Creek Village have a street party to celebrate.
17th Mar, 2004	Love Canal removed from Superfund list	Cleanup took 21 years and cost close to $400 million dollars, but Love Canal removed from the Superfund list.