Jocelyn and Dan McKiernan started a family in what they hoped would be their forever home: a three-story house in Niagara Falls.
On Aug. 7, 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared a federal health emergency at Love Canal after years of health concerns among residents and almost two years after the first instance of chemical seepage into the soil was reported. Take a look at The Buffalo News' coverage from 1978.
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Jocelyn McKiernan sits with her two youngest sons, ages 1 and 4, at their home in Niagara Falls on Thursday. When Jocelyn and her husband, Dan, hired a contractor to dig a hole for a new pool in their backyard, they discovered odd materials resembling carbon rods and other wastes. The DEC tested the soil and found concerning contaminants, possibly indicative of Love Canal-era dumping.
A view of Dan and Jocelyn McKiernan’s pool and yard in Niagara Falls, which is located about 100 yards from Love Canal.
Toy trucks sit on the front sidewalk of Jocelyn and Dan McKiernan’s home in Niagara Falls, which they bought in 2020. The seller reported no known environmental problems.
The New York State Health Department declared an emergency at Love Canal on Aug. 2, 1978. The years that followed were filled with rage, acrimony and tears as Niagara Falls residents became environmental activists, watching as their old neighborhood was razed and as their struggle launched a global movement for environmental
A view of materials that have recently surfaced in the yard of Jocelyn and Dan McKiernan in Niagara Falls, Aug. 6, 2026. When the McKiernans hired a contractor to dig a hole for a new pool in their backyard, they discovered materials resembling carbon rods and other wastes. The DEC tested the soil and found concerning contaminants, possibly indicative of Love Canal-era dumping there. A 1993 report says their property was remediated along with others in the Love Canal evacuation zone. (Libby March/Buffalo News)
A view of a shiny material that has recently surfaced in the yard of Jocelyn and Dan McKiernan in Niagara Falls, Aug. 6, 2026. When the McKiernans hired a contractor to dig a hole for a new pool in their backyard, they discovered materials resembling carbon rods and other wastes. The DEC tested the soil and found concerning contaminants, possibly indicative of Love Canal-era dumping there. A 1993 report says their property was remediated along with others in the Love Canal evacuation zone.
A view into the McKiernans’ back yard in Niagara Falls, Aug. 6, 2026. The McKiernans recently hired a contractor to dig a hole for a new pool in their backyard and discovered materials resembling carbon rods and other wastes. The DEC tested the soil and found concerning contaminants, possibly indicative of Love Canal-era dumping there. A 1993 report says their property was remediated along with others in the Love Canal evacuation zone.
Reach climate and environment reporter Mackenzie Shuman at mshuman@buffnews.com or 716-715-4722.
In this Series
In The News: Covering radioactive and chemical waste contamination in Niagara County
Mackenzie Shuman
Environment and climate reporter
