Former New York Air Brake Facility
A Public Meeting will be held on November 13. 2007, regarding the Former New York Air Brake Facility,Watertown, New York. The meeting will be located at the North Elementary School, 171 East Hoard Street, Watertown, NY 13601
On November 13, 2007, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) will host a public meeting/informational session to discuss the upcoming environmental investigations on the former New York Airbrake facility and in the residential areas located immediately to the west and south of the site(west of Starbuck Ave. and south of Pearl St.) in Watertown.
At 7:00 pm, the NYSDEC will present its approach for evaluating whether soil vapor contamination is emanating from the former New York Air Brake facility. Following the presentation, representatives from NYSDOH and NYSDEC will be available to answer specific questions, or talk one-on-one with members of the community.
Background
The former New York Air Brake (NYAB) manufacturing facility is located near the intersection of Starbuck Avenue and Pearl Street in Watertown. NYAB's primary operations which date back to the early 1900's were manufacturing air brakes, along with operation of a foundry, a die cast facility, machine shop, hydraulics facility and several other small supporting operations. In addition to manufacturing operations, NYAB operated three landfills within the confines of the site property.
The facility released tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE) and other volatile chemicals into the soil and groundwater during its operations. Under the terms of a 1987 and a 1990 Order on Consent between the State of New York and NYAB, the company performed an environmental investigation and implemented a cleanup program to address contamination found at the site. NYAB conducted multiple remedial actions including installation of leachate collection systems and capping of the landfills, excavations of contaminated soils, and groundwater extraction and treatment. Recent groundwater monitoring data indicate that concentrations of contaminants in the onsite groundwater remain above New York State standards for drinking water. This has not been an issue since residential areas located downgradient of the facility are served by public water, which is safe to drink.
Vapor Intrusion Evaluation
Soil vapor or soil gas is the air found in the pore spaces between soil particles. Volatile compounds like PCE and TCE can, through a process called vapor intrusion, migrate from the contaminated groundwater as a vapor and move through subsurface soils and potentially into the indoor air of overlying buildings in ways similar to that of radon gas seeping into homes. Indoor air is affected by vapor intrusion when volatile chemicals in soil gas collect beneath a building and are drawn through cracks and openings in the foundation and mix with the indoor air. Vapor intrusion can occur in buildings both with and without a basement.
This upcoming heating season, the NYSDEC and the NYSDOH will conduct an investigation (see Study Area Figure) to determine if TCE or other volatile compounds are entering structures on the NYAB site, as well as homes, commercial buildings, and institutional facilities off site, via vapor intrusion. With permission from property owners, sub-slab and indoor air samples will be collected by New York State contractors from inside representative structures in the study area. All of the samples will be sent to private, independent laboratories where they will be analyzed for volatile organic compounds.
Sampling Rationale
In order for vapor intrusion to occur, there must be a source of contamination beneath a structure, and there also must be a pathway for contaminant vapors to enter the structure. Historical investigations of the site indicate there is a potential for contaminated groundwater to migrate from the site. Based on the structure sampling that will be conducted this winter, the Agencies will determine if a pathway exists for vapor intrusion. The tight composition of the clayey soils in this study area are expected to have been an effective barrier to any soil vapor which may exist. This sampling approach is designed to be comprehensive and proactive.
The sampling will be performed under the supervision of the Agencies and/or their representatives at no cost to the property owners. Property owners will receive a copy of their own sampling results, with an explanation of any chemicals detected.
Further Information
You may obtain additional information by contacting one of the representatives listed:
For project information, call NYSDEC:
Mr. Thomas Festa, VI Project Manager, (518) 402-9814
Mr. Phil Waite, NYAB Project Manager, (315) 785-2513
Mr. Stephen Litwhiler, Citizen Participation Specialist, (315) 785-2252
You may review previous NYAB project documents at the regional NYSDEC office located in the Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington Street, Watertown, NY 13601, (Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). Call for an appointment at (315)785-2513 .
You can learn more about vapor intrusion at http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/2588.html
Any questions or concern regarding the investigation can be addressed by contacting Mr. Tom Festa, NYSDEC VI Project Manager, Albany at (518) 402-9814, or Mr. Phil Waite, NYAB Project Manager, Watertown at (315) 785-2513, or by calling, toll free, 1-800-388-8223.
For health-related concerns regarding this site, call NYSDOH:
Mr. Greg Rys, Project Manager, (315) 866-6879
Mr. Thomas Boxberger, District Director, (315) 785-2277
