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EPA Places Three New York Sites on the Final Superfund National Priorities List

Release Date: 09/04/2002
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(#02088) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today placed three more hazardous waste sites in New York State on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), the federal list of the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites. EPA proposed the three sites to the NPL last September and took public comments on the proposals. The final NPL sites are the Cayuga County Ground Water Contamination site between the Village of Union Springs and the City of Auburn, the Crown Cleaners of Watertown, Inc. site in the Village of Herrings and the Ellenville Scrap Iron and Metal site in Ellenville. EPA already used its Superfund authority at the sites in Cayuga County and Village of Herrings to perform short-term actions that reduced the more immediate and potential health risks posed by chemical or heavy metal contamination. The Agency also conducted extensive sampling of soil and ground water at the site in Ellenville. “EPA has supplied individual treatment systems for the properties affected by the ground water problem in Cayuga County while it investigates the possible sources of the contamination. In the Village of Herrings, the Agency removed surface hazards at the site, and, in Ellenville, the Agency identified the sources of contamination at the scrap yard. The designation of these sites to the NPL will speed up the long-term correction of these hazardous waste problems,” said EPA Regional Administrator Jane M. Kenny. “When a hazardous waste site is added to the NPL it marks the beginning of a partnership between EPA and the affected neighborhood. Successful interaction is the best way to achieve a site cleanup plan that is acceptable to the community and sets the stage for site redevelopment that coincides with local interests and planning,” she added. The following is a description of the three sites in New York placed on the final NPL: CAYUGA COUNTY GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION SITE The site is in a rural area west of Syracuse and consists of a plume of ground water contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from an unknown source(s). The suspected extent of the contaminant plume covers an area of approximately five square miles and is within three townships, Aurelius, Fleming and Springport. Some of the homes and farms in the affected area are not serviced by a public water supply. According to information provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and preliminary information gathered by EPA, the source(s) of the ground water contamination at the site has not been determined. Routine testing of the Village of Union Springs' municipal drinking water supply revealed low levels of cis- 1,2,dichloroethylene (cis-1,2,DCE) and prompted the NYSDEC in December 2000 to request that EPA undertake a Superfund action at the site. Through investigations conducted by the New York State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation, over 300 drinking wells were sampled in the spring of 2001. As a result, EPA determined that 51 residential wells are contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), primarily vinyl chloride, trichloroethylene (TCE) and cis-1,2,DCE, in concentrations above federal safe drinking water limits. EPA has installed 54 systems to treat contaminated drinking water as part of a Superfund emergency action. In addition to equipping 51 private residential wells with treatment systems, EPA installed air-stripper treatment systems, which also effectively remove contaminants from water, at two large dairy farms and a carbon filter system at a residence that serves as a child day care facility. Many of the properties where EPA treatment systems were installed have been connected to a public water line. EPA is now concentrating efforts on its investigation into the source(s) of the ground water contamination. Several monitoring wells have been established to track the origin of the plume. CROWN CLEANERS OF WATERTOWN, INC. The site includes a former laundry/dry cleaning facility along Route 3 in the Village of Herrings in Jefferson County and a plume of ground water contamination emanating from the facility. Crown Cleaners operated at the site from the 1970s and discharged waste water from washing machines into basement storage pits, which then discharged through the foundation walls into the ground and the nearby Black River. Some of the waste water was contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a common dry cleaning solvent, as well as machine oils and greases. NYSDEC’s 1991 investigations into the source of PCE contamination in a Village of Herrrings public water supply well identified soil and ground water beneath the Crown Cleaners building as the cause of the problem. Soon after, a treatment system for the village well was installed. In 1998, NYSDEC pinpointed the extent of the contamination underneath the building and conducted a limited action to remove some of the hazardous material inside the building. In June 2000, the NYSDEC asked EPA to address the immediate problems posed by the site through its Superfund program. During the fall of 2000 and the fall of 2001, EPA removed numerous sources of contamination inside the building, including 5,000 gallons of waste oil and friable asbestos-containing material sources. Additional work to address the on- site ground water contamination and remaining sources of contamination beneath the building is needed. ELLENVILLE SCRAP IRON AND METAL The site is a 24-acre inactive scrap iron and metal reclamation facility that began operations in the 1950s on Cape Road in the Village of Ellenville in Ulster County. The facility was used as a landfill and tire dump. From 1987 to 1998, the NYSDEC conducted numerous inspections of the site, which led to enforcement actions against the owners aimed at getting them to remove the hazardous materials at the site. EPA has identified contaminated soil at the facility disposal area and the 40-foot high landfill embankment as two main sources of heavy metal and other chemical contamination at the site. Other areas of environmental concern noted by EPA include piles of scrap metal, miscellaneous waste, waste tires, railroad ties and discarded automobile batteries. EPA also observed the release of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, a chemical associated with plastics, to the Beer Kill adjacent to the site. Beer Kill is a fishery and is designated for recreational use. The site is contaminating the Sandburg Creek Valley Aquifer and is a potential threat to public water supply wells located within two miles of the site. In addition, two residences in a neighborhood adjacent to the site have shown evidence of contamination. Extensive cleanup of the hazardous materials left at the site, as well as actions to address local ground water contamination, are needed. The Agency periodically proposes sites to the NPL and designates proposed sites as final. Final sites are eligible for federal funds to plan and conduct long-term cleanup actions, if parties responsible for the contamination cannot be found or do not have the necessary financial resources. Proposed sites are investigated further to determine the extent of the risks they may pose to human health and the environment. The total number of final NPL sites in New York is 91, with one site still at the proposed stage. The NPL rule will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow. For members of the public interested in obtaining copies of the notice, an updated NPL list or site descriptions, please contact the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810.