Love Canal

Chemicals and Municipal Waste Dumped into Canal

In 1940, Hooker Electrochemical Company acquired Love's partially completed canal for a chemical waste landfill. Between 1942 and 1953, Hooker disposed of 22,000 tons of chemical waste. The city of Niagara Falls, New York. and residents obtaining permits from the local health department also used the canal for disposing municipal waste. Company technicians believed the canal was an adequate landfill because of its cement sides and its depth. When Hooker closed the landfill in 1953, a clay cap was placed over the waste barrels and covered with grass.

In 1953, the city of Niagara Falls approached Hooker about acquiring the property. Because the land was deemed public space, Hooker deeded the land to the school board for $1. The deed included details of the chemicals buried in the area and directed that excavation and development of the land were unwise. After meetings between the school board and Hooker Electrochemical Company, the school board accepted the deed, thinking that the construction planned would not disturb the chemicals underground.

Home and School Built on Canal Site

In January 1954, the city of Niagara Falls began construction on the canal property with the development of the 99th Street School and surrounding residences. The houses bordered the canal on the east and west, and the school playground was located on top of the dumpsite. Underground sewer systems, basements, and roads also accompanied the construction of the new community.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, reports surfaced of children with rashes and burns on their hands and feet after playing on the school playground. Residents also complained of clogged sump pumps, strange smells, and leaking basements. In 1976, Niagara Gazette reporter, Mike Brown, became interested in the complaints and arranged for the analysis of samples of basement sludge. Analysis revealed high concentration of benzene among other dangerous chemicals. The publication of the findings sparked concerns of residents like Lois Gibbs whose son attended the 99th Street School. Concerned about the proximity of the chemical site to the school, Gibbs started a door-to-door campaign asking residents if they or their children had any health problems and when the health problems began.

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