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EPA to hold public meeting on August 16; Contact: Michael Basile, basile.michael@epa.gov, 716-551-4410

NEW YORK, NY - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to clean up lead-contaminated soil at approximately 26 residences that are impacted by the former Flintkote Plant property at the Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund Site, in Lockport, N.Y. As part of a multi-phased, comprehensive cleanup of the Eighteen Mile Creek Site, EPA is proposing the removal of approximately 14,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and off-site disposal at facilities licensed to handle the waste. The excavated areas will be restored and backfilled with clean soil.

“EPA is committed to taking action to address the significant health threat lead contamination poses across the country,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “The plan proposed for this site will address the lead in the soil that children and families could be exposed to on these properties.”

EPA has provided property owners with their specific soil sampling results and has discussed preventative measures to reduce exposure before an action can be taken. Once EPA gets public input on its proposal and finalizes a plan for these properties, the Agency will coordinate with the property owners to minimize impacts and inconveniences associated with construction.

Once the final plan is selected, EPA will take more soil samples to determine more conclusively the number of residential properties that need soil cleanup. EPA will monitor air near the work areas to ensure protection of residents and the surrounding community.

Background:

Eighteen Mile Creek has a long history of industrial use dating back to the 1800’s. The headwaters of the Creek consist of an east and west branch beginning immediately north of the New York State Barge Canal in Lockport. Eighteen Mile Creek flows north approximately 15 miles and discharges into Lake Ontario in Olcott, N.Y. Investigations at the site show that sediment and soil in and around Eighteen Mile Creek and nearby properties are contaminated with a variety of pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and lead.

The former Flintkote Plant property located at 198 and 300 Mill Street operated between 1928 and 1971 and manufactured felt products.

EPA has taken a multi-phased approach to cleaning up the Eighteen Mile Creek Site. In the first phase, EPA demolished the buildings at the former Flintkote Plant property and bought out and relocated five families from their Water Street residences in Lockport, N.Y. due to the impact of recurring flooding of PCB-contaminated water and sediment from the Creek. Those homes, and the former industrial buildings, were demolished and all demolition debris was removed from the properties.

In the second phase, which is ongoing, EPA is addressing soil and sediment contamination in the Creek Corridor. This encompasses an approximately 4,000-foot segment of Eighteen Mile Creek that extends from the New York State Barge Canal to Harwood Street in the City of Lockport.

The third phase of cleanup – also currently ongoing – is an investigation of groundwater and contaminated sediment in the Creek from Lockport to Lake Ontario.

Today’s announcement involves the fourth phase, which is the proposed cleanup and restoration of lead-contaminated soil at residential properties in the vicinity of the former Flintkote Plant property.

EPA will hold a public meeting on August 16, 2018 to explain the cleanup proposal and take public comment on the various cleanup options. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the 4-H Training Center at the Niagara County Fairgrounds, 4487 Lake Avenue, Lockport, N.Y. Written comments will be accepted until August 27, 2018.

Written comments may be mailed or emailed to: Jaclyn Kondrk, Remedial Project Manager,U.S. EPA, 290 Broadway, 20th Floor; New York, N.Y., 10007 or e-mail: kondrk.jaclyn@epa.gov

To review EPA’s proposed plan, visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/eighteenmile-creek

On the one-year anniversary of the EPA’s Superfund Task Force Report, EPA announced significant progress in carrying out the report’s recommendations. These achievements will provide certainty to communities, state partners, and developers that the nation’s most hazardous sites will be cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible.

EPA’s new “Superfund Task Force Recommendations 2018 Update” is available at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations-2018-update

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

Larisa Romanowski, (518) 407-0400, romanowski.larisa@epa.gov

ALBANY, NY - Construction work is expected to resume later this month on a facility in Massena, NY to support the $243 million dredging project to clean up PCBs from the Grasse River. When constructed, the facility will be used as a staging area to support future dredging and capping operations. Before dredging work can start, the facility must be constructed and engineering plans and other design work completed. Arconic Inc. (formerly Alcoa) is performing the cleanup work under an EPA order. EPA, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe are working together on the oversight and coordination of the various components of the cleanup project.

“Our ability to protect people’s health and the environment is most effective when we work together and engage our local communities from a foundation of trust and transparency,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “Working collaboratively with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, the State, local governments and the community, we can get much accomplished as we meet our shared challenges head on.”

In 2013, EPA selected a plan to clean up river sediment contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by dredging and capping of contaminated sediment in a 7.2-mile stretch of the Grasse River.

The 2018 construction activities are expected to include completion of a sheet pile wall along the staging area riverfront and construction of a dock facility; removal of a small amount of sediment along the shoreline next to the staging area; removal of soil in two areas along the north shore of the river near the Alcoa Bridge; re-opening of the secure landfill for the disposal of shoreline sediment and soil; and performance of an in-river capping test in small areas near the staging area.

Plans to protect the health and safety of the workers and area communities will be in place while the construction work is underway. The air and river water will be monitored during the work. A traffic management plan has been developed to minimize the increased truck traffic at and near the staging area. With the exception of the collection of river water samples, and the in-river capping test, all of the work being conducted in 2018 will be performed by land and is not expected to impact recreational boating on the Grasse River.

EPA will hold a public information session on May 16 in Massena to provide an update on, and answer questions about, construction of the cleanup support facility. The next meeting will be held in Akwesasne in June. Meetings will be held monthly in Massena or Akwesasne while the construction work is underway.

Public Information Session:

Wednesday, May 16, 2018
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Massena Community Center
Community Room
61 Beach Street
Massena, N.Y. 13662

Background:

Under the EPA’s 2013 cleanup plan, approximately 109,000 cubic yards of sediment will be dredged from near-shore areas of the river. In the river’s main channel, approximately 59 acres of sediment will be covered with an armored cap and another approximately 225 acres of contaminated sediment will be capped with a mix of clean sand and topsoil to isolate the contamination from the surrounding environment.

In spring 2017, Arconic began construction of a staging area that will be used to unload the sediment dredged from areas near the shore of the river. The staging area is located next to the river, near the intersection of County Route 42 and Route 131 in Massena. Arconic also expanded the permitted, licensed on-site Arconic Massena West landfill so that it can store dredged sediment and other materials generated during the construction work and when the river cleanup work is performed.

For more information about the Grasse River Superfund Site, please visit https://www.epa.gov/ny/aluminum-company-america-massena-ny.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

Tag: Construction

EPA Proposes Cleanup of Lead Contaminated Residential Properties at Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund Site in Lockport, N.Y.

Construction Work Scheduled to Resume in Massena, NY in Preparation for Cleanup of the Grasse River Superfund Site

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