Region 9 - Environmental Remediation Project Information
The DEC's Division of Environmental Remediation in Region 9 is responsible for investigating and cleaning up many sites throughout Western New York that were contaminated from past industrial activities. These sites that were once a source of economic vitality to the region now contribute to environmental degradation, potential health problems, urban decay, decreased tax revenue, and population loss.
New York State's environmental cleanup programs are transforming these sites, paving the way for waterfront development, new jobs, clean energy, recreational opportunities, and enhanced appreciation of the environment. DEC is committed to cleaning up, restoring, and protecting the region's natural heritage so it may be enjoyed and utilized by today's community as well as future generations of Western New Yorkers.
The project names below, listed by county, are linked to the most recent fact sheets associated with the sites. Important documents may be found in the descriptions following the project names. You may also access project information on the Environmental Remediation public database by clicking on the site number found on each fact sheet page.
Allegany
- Cuba Landfill - Cleanup activities at the Cuba Landfill inactive hazardous waste disposal site in the Town of Cuba commenced in Summer 2008 and are expected to be completed in Summer 2009. The site operated as a municipal landfill accepting household, commercial and industrial wastes until 1981.
Cattaraugus
- Bush Industries - A final cleanup plan for the Bush Industries site in the Village of Cattaraugus has been selected and published in a December 2008 document known as the Record of Decision (20 Page PDF, 986 KB, text only). A previous cleanup action at the site, which was impacted by petroleum compounds, has made the site suitable for industrial use. The future owner of the site may opt for additional protective measures depending on how the land will be used. More information is explained in the ROD. The text of the August 2008 Proposed Remedial Action Plan (16 Page PDF, 82.7 KB) is also available. To view document appendices, figures, and tables, visit the appropriate locations listed in the fact sheet.
Chautauqua
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Carroll Town Landfill - A cleanup plan, called the Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP), explains the preferred remedial actions to address contamination at the Carroll Town Landfill Superfund site in Frewsburg. The PRAP (28 page PDF, 798 KB) was issued in November 2008 and is explained in the December 2008 fact sheet. The Record of Decision (44 Page PDF, 980 KB), the official document that announces DEC's final decision on a course of action to clean up the site, was issued in March 2009.
Click to view Carroll Town
Landfill fact sheet
- DC Rollforms - Remedial activities at the DC Rollforms Site in the City of Jamestown are complete. The property had been used for tool manufacturing, which impacted soil and groundwater with a number of contaminants. The Engineering Construction Completion Report (28 Page PDF, 231 KB, text only), approved by DEC in July 2009, describes the actions taken to remediate the site.
- Edgewood Warehouse - An environmental investigation and cleanup is being conducted at the Edgewood Warehouse Site in Dunkirk by the Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), under New York's Environmental Restoration Program.
- Standard Portable - Former metal working operations at this site in Mayville, NY contaminated the property and adjacent areas with a chemical called Trichloroethene (TCE). Environmental investigation work is being conducted to determine if TCE contamination is migrating toward Lake Chautauqua.
Erie
- 200 Ship Canal - Planned cleanup work at the 200 Ship Canal Parkway Site, a portion of the former Hanna Furnace property, is described in the Remedial Work Plan (40 Page PDF, 1.1 MB). Appendices to the report may be viewed at the DEC Region 9 Office or the JP Dudley Branch Library, 2010 South Park Ave, Buffalo.
- 1318 Niagara Street - Improper storage and handling of oil wastes impacted the 1318 Niagara Street Site with PCB contamination. The City of Buffalo is conducting preliminary investigation and cleanup work under the Environmental Restoration Program. The investigation work plan can be viewed in PDF format by clicking the link in the right column on the fact sheet page.
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Buffalo China - The Buffalo China facility in the City of Buffalo formerly manufactured china and mirrors, resulting in site contamination consisting of volatile organic compounds and lead. Environmental investigations are ongoing, with a final Remedial Investigation Report expected to be completed by Fall 2009. Plans to investigate the potential for soil vapor intrusion on nearby properties have been submitted to and approved by DEC. To complete the investigation and to ensure the safety of the public, more rock wells will be drilled on both the Buffalo China property and the surrounding off-site area. The text of the March 2009 Soil Vapor Intrusion Investigation Work Plan (19 Page PDF, 131KB) provides details and is available online, while figures, tables and appendices may be viewed at the document repositories listed in the fact sheet.
Click to view Buffalo China fact sheet
- Buffalo Color - Located along the Buffalo River, the former Buffalo Color Corporation and its predecessors produced dyes for blue jeans and other organic chemicals for over 100 years. South Buffalo Development (SBD), collaborating with Honeywell (a potentially responsible party), is remediating the site as a participant in the Brownfield Cleanup Program. Remediation is expected to be complete in 2012. SBD intends to redevelop the site for commercial and light industrial purposes. SBD submitted the Remedial Investigation Report (71 Page PDF, 243 KB, text only) in August 2008. The Alternatives Analysis Report (88 Page PDF, 616 KB, text only), which includes the Remedial Work Plan, was submitted in February 2009. Tables, figures, and appendices to both reports are available at the document repositories listed in the fact sheet.
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Buffalo River Restoration - A partnership between NYSDEC, the U.S. EPA, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Honeywell, and the USACE is working to remediate and restore the Buffalo River. The partnership represents an innovative and collaborative approach to constructively dealing with the Buffalo River's complex environmental problems.
Click to access Buffalo River Restoration
website
- Depew Village Landfill - The Depew Village Landfill operated between 1940 and 1961. During operations it processed municipal waste, as well as hazardous wastes from unknown sources. Contamination, particularly lead, has impacted the landfill property, the adjacent stream bank, sediments in Cayuga Creek, and a portion of the slope under Zurbrick Road. DEC is addressing the site as two separate operable units. Fact sheets and project documents specific to Operable Units 1 and 2 are available from the Depew Village Landfill page.
- East Ferry Street - Cleanup work at the East Ferry Street Superfund Site in Buffalo, NY was completed in November 2007. Collaboration between the DEC and local church and community leaders led to cleanup activities that transformed the brownfield into usable land. Major documents about the site include the Record of Decision Amendment (31 page PDF, 354 KB), issued on August 22, 2005.
- Former Bethlehem Steel - Bethlehem Steel, in the City of Lackawanna, was once a major engine of economic productivity in Western New York. Over the years the complex grew to over 1600 acres. Environmental contamination varies across the property with 400 acres listed on the Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal (State Superfund) Sites. This area is being addressed under the State's RCRA Corrective Action Program. An additional 500 acres are being remediated under the Brownfield Cleanup Program by the current site owner, Tecumseh Redevelopment (see Tecumseh entries below). A fact sheet on the proposed cleanup of the Acid Tar Pits and Agitator Sludge Area portions of the Former Bethlehem Steel Site was released in July 2009. The document that explains the proposal may be accessed on the fact sheet page.
- Gastown - The Gastown site in the City of Tonawanda is the location of a former manufactured gas plant. The site and the surrounding area has been impacted with coal tar contamination. An underground tar tank will be removed in the Fall of 2009, and a comprehensive site cleanup is scheduled to begin in 2012.
- Hanna Furnace Parcel 3 - See Union Ship Canal.
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Hanna Furnace Parcel 4 - The former Hanna Furnace company processed iron ore into iron. The contaminated property in Buffalo was divided into 4 parcels to facilitate cleanup. Buffalo Urban Development Corporation has partnered with the DEC to remediate the site. A January 2009 cleanup plan (Proposed Remedial Action Plan - 19 Page PDF, 285 KB) explains environmental cleanup measures proposed for the Hanna Furnace Parcel 4 site. The plan was finalized in April 2009 and appears in a document called the Record of Decision (Text, 32 Page PDF, 106 KB)(Tables, 8 Page PDF, 231KB)(Figures, 1 Page PDF, 664KB). In addition to these documents, you may view an electronic version of the October 2008 Site Investigation / Remedial Alternatives Report (176 Page PDF, 5.87 MB).
Click to view Hanna Furnace
Parcel 4 fact sheet
- Leica - The Leica Superfund Site, once home to companies that produced optical equipment, was remediated beginning in 1999. However, contamination continues to impact groundwater in the bedrock below the site. Leica Inc. is implementing ongoing remedial measures and will conduct additional investigation activities in Spring 2009 to determine if vapors are being released from the contaminated groundwater.
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Niagara Street and Pennsylvania Avenue - This site in the City of Buffalo was home to an auto repair and gasoline retail facility, which impacted the property with petroleum contamination. Recent cleanup actions have successfully addressed contamination, and DEC proposes to take no further action at the site. Before finalizing the decision, DEC will accept public comment on the RI/AA/IRM Report, which describes the cleanup actions that were taken. Comments on the report will be accepted between October 30 and December 13, 2009. See fact sheet to access the report and more information.
Click to view Niagara St and PA Ave fact sheet
- Niagara Transformer - The Niagara Transformer Corporation has applied to the Brownfield Cleanup Program to voluntarily remediate a parcel in Cheektowaga. An application to participate in the BCP, along with an environmental investigation and cleanup work plan, are currently being reviewed by DEC.
- NOCO #S41 - This site located at Fillmore Avenue and Genesee Street in the City of Buffalo has been impacted by petroleum contamination. The site is being addressed under the Brownfield Cleanup Program. Recent cleanup actions have successfully addressed contamination, and DEC proposes to take no further action at the site. Before finalizing the decision, DEC will accept public comment on the RI/AA/IRM Report, which describes the cleanup actions that were taken. Comments on the report will be accepted between October 28 and December 11, 2009. See fact sheet to access the report and more information.
- Polymer Applications - DEC is proposing to remove contaminated soil at the Polymer Applications Site in the Town of Tonawanda after previous bio-remediation strategies failed to achieve cleanup objectives. A major fire in 1988 released a number of chemicals, and cleanup efforts since then have been ongoing. DEC previously excavated contaminated soil and moved it to an onsite containment cell, where it was treated with a bioremediation technology. Because the technology failed to achieve cleanup objectives, DEC plans to remove the soil for disposal at an offsite facility.
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Seneca Street - Flexo Transparent Inc. has entered the Brownfield Cleanup Program to remediate the properties at 1132 and 1146 Seneca Street in Buffalo. These properties were used for operating lumber and rail yards, distributing fuel, and manufacturing electrical transformers, fiberglass platforms, and clay products. The site is impacted primarily by polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBS, which are large, bulky molecules that are oily in nature and hard to break down. A work plan for environmental investigation and cleanup measures, called the Remedial Investigation / Interim Remedial Measures Work Plan (34 Page PDF, 1 MB), was released in February 2009.
Click to view Seneca St fact sheet
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Spaulding Composites - The Spaulding Composites site in Tonawanda is being cleaned up through the Environmental Restoration and the State Superfund Programs. The company that occupied the site once produced composite laminates. The site is now contaminated with a variety of chemicals that were used in the manufacturing process. Seven Operable Units have been identified to facilitate remediation.
Click for information about cleanup work on
different operable units at the Spaulding site
- Tecumseh Phase I - Cleanup work at a portion of the former Bethlehem Steel property known as Tecumseh Phase I will be conducted under the Brownfield Cleanup Program. An August 2008 report called the Interim Remedial Measures Work Plan describes upcoming cleanup activities scheduled to begin in Spring 2009. The work plan is divided into text and figures: IRM Work Plan Text (37 page PDF, 737 KB), Figure 1 (1 page PDF, 403 KB), Figure 2 (1 page PDF, 887 KB), Figure 3 (1 page PDF, 836 KB), Figure 4 (1 page PDF, 918 KB), and Figure 5 (1 page PDF, 567 KB). Appendices to the work plan may be viewed at the locations listed in the February 2009 Fact Sheet Addendum.
- Tecumseh Phase II - Proposed environmental investigation work at this portion of the former Bethlehem Steel site is described in a March 2009 document titled Remedial Investigation / Alternatives Analysis Report (RI / AAR) Work Plan (41 Page PDF, 700 KB). Figures and appendices to the report may be viewed at the document repositories listed in the fact sheet.
- Tonawanda Coke - A decision on the cleanup plan for the Tonawanda Coke State Superfund site in Tonawanda, NY is described in The Record of Decision (ROD) for Tonawanda Coke Corporation (25 Page PDF, 1 MB) Operable Units 1 and 2, signed on March 31, 2008.
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Union Ship Canal - Cleanup and redevelopment plans at the Union Ship Canal Site (also known as Hanna Furnace Parcel 3) were discussed at a public meeting held in February 2009. A public park has been proposed for the site (see image at right). Portions of the draft design document for the proposed park may be viewed online: Table of Contents (2 Page PDF, 20 KB) for the full document; Sections 1, 13, 14, 16, and 25 of the Division 1 Specifications (12 page PDF, 61 KB); and all of the Division 2 Specifications (148 Page PDF, 452 KB).
Click to view images of proposed Union
Ship Canal Park
Niagara
Click to view Bristol Ave fact sheet
- 1 Bristol Avenue - The One Bristol Avenue Site in Lockport was used at one time for agricultural retail. Oil and gas storage tanks at the site leaked and impacted the area with petroleum products. After a cleanup action in Spring 2008 fully addressed contamination, the DEC in February 2009 finalized the decision to take no further action at the site. The decision is documented in a report called the Record of Decision (18 Page PDF, 49 KB - text and appendices only; figures available at locations listed in fact sheet). The Proposed Remedial Action Plan (13 Page PDF, 709 KB) was issued in December 2008.
- 815 River Road - Impacted by petroleum products from past industrial use, the 815 River Road site was cleaned up between 2003 and 2007. The cleanup actions, called interim remedial measures, were selected as the final remedy for the site since they successfully addressed contamination at the site. The selection is described in a document called the Record of Decision (26 Page PDF, 1.6 Mb) released in December 2008. This document is large in size and may take a moment to download. For faster download, the document has been divided into three parts: 1) Cover, Table of Contents, Text and Appendices (PDF, 68 KB), 2) Figure 1 and 2 (PDF, 703 KB), 3) Figure 3 and 4 (PDF, 1 MB).
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915 Cleveland Avenue - An environmental investigation and cleanup was conducted under the Brownfield Cleanup Program at the 915 Cleveland Avenue Site in Niagara Falls. The site once hosted auto service and dry cleaning facilities and was contaminated with petroleum products and volatile organic compounds. A draft report describing the investigation and cleanup activities was prepared in October 2008. The text of the report, called the Remedial Investigation / Remedial Alternatives Report, is available in two parts: 1. Sections 1 - 5 (25 page PDF, 989 KB) and Sections 6 - 10 (11 page PDF, 510 KB). Tables, figures, and appendices to the report may be viewed at the locations listed on the fact sheet.
Click to view 915 Cleveland Ave fact sheet
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Eighteenmile Creek Corridor - A cleanup plan for the Eighteen Mile Creek Corridor Site in Lockport is being prepared by NYSDEC under New York State's Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Site (IHWDS), or Superfund Program. The cleanup plan, called the Proposed Remedial Action Plan, is expected to be available for public review in Summer 2009. Major documents about the site include the Flintkote Sampling Report (30 Page PDF, 1.3 MB) from June 2002, the Water Street Sampling Report (54 Page PDF, 1.3MB) from March 2003, and the Eighteenmile Creek Corridor Remedial Investigation Report (67 Page PDF, 196 KB) from September 2006. Appendices, figures, and tables from the reports may be viewed at the document repositories listed in the fact sheet.
Click to view Eighteenmile Creek
fact sheet
- Electruk Battery - The Former Electruk Battery Site in the Town of Lockport produced lead acid batteries. A fire in 1995 damaged the facility and contaminated the property with lead. A cleanup action known as an interim remedial measure addressed contamination at the site. A February 2009 proposal to take no further environmental cleanup action appears in a document called the Proposed Remedial Action Plan (25 page PDF, 965 KB).
- Globar (Former Carborundum) - The Globar site was previously owned by the Carborundum Company that manufactured heating elements used by the steel industry. The primary contaminant affecting the site is a volatile organic compound called Trichloroethylene (TCE). Environmental investigations at the site are being conducted to determine if bioremediation technologies can be used to speed up the natural breakdown of TCE. A link to the report on the first phase of the environmental investigation may be found on the fact sheet page.
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Globe Metallurgical (3807 Highland Avenue) - The Globe Metallurgical Site was used for a number of industrial purposes and will be cleaned up by Globe under New York State's Brownfield Cleanup Program. A December 2008 report on an environmental investigation and cleanup plan for the site may be viewed online. The report has been broken down as follows: Text and Figures (45 page PDF, 956 KB), Appendix A (Soil Management Plan) (25 page PDF, 918 KB), Appendix A (Erosion Control Plan) (40 page PDF, 1.32 MB), Appendix B (Air Monitoring Plan) (86 page PDF, 1.08 MB), Appendix C (Citizen Participation Plan) (28 page PDF, 449 KB), and Appendix D (Project Documentation Forms) (5 page PDF, 88 KB).
Click to view Globe fact sheet
- Remington Rand - The Remington Rand site in North Tonawanda hosted a number of past industries. Contamination at the site is being addressed by the site owner through the Brownfield Cleanup Program. A December 2008 report on proposed environmental investigation and cleanup activities (49 pages, 158 KB) is available for review.
- SGL Carbon - The former SGL Carbon manufactured graphite in Niagara Falls. The site, located at 6100-6200 Niagara Falls Boulevard, is contaminated with organic chemicals and metals. Ashland Advanced Materials, LLC is participating in the Brownfield Cleanup Program to remediate and reuse the site. A draft Remedial Investigation Work Plan ( 29 Page PDF, 439 KB) describes proposed cleanup measures. Figures and appendices to the report may be viewed at the locations for public viewing listed in the fact sheet. Written comments may be submitted to the project manager listed in the fact sheet.
- Tract II - The Tract II Site in Niagara Falls once housed a business forms manufacturing operation that closed in 1992. It is believed that the adjacent Power City Warehouse Site impacted the Tract II Site with lead. A Record of Decision (Text, Tables, and Appendices, 36 Page PDF, 304 KB) issued in 2003 describes the cleanup actions that will remediate the site. Figures from the report are available separately: Figures 1, 2 and 3 (3 Page PDF, 1 MB); and Figures 4, 5 and 6 (3 Page PDF, 1.1 MB).
- Transit Street MGP - The Transit Street MGP Site, currently owned by New York State Electric and Gas, was once the site of a manufactured gas plant facility. Its production of gas from coal and petroleum products impacted the soils and groundwater at the site and surrounding areas. The Record of Decision (37 Page PDF, 554 KB), the official document that announces DEC's final decision on a course of action to clean up the site, was issued in March 2009. The Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP)(18 Page PDF, 276 KB), was issued in February 2009. Figures from the report may be viewed electronically: Figures 1-3 (3 Page PDF, 760 KB); Figures 4-6 (3 Page PDF, 1 MB), and Figures 7-9 (3 Page PDF, 694 KB).
