West Side Corporation Site
Site No. 241026
Next Steps:
- Continue on with the OU1 remedial action using SVE.
- NYCDEP to begin construction of the OU2 off-site remedy: Remedial Action Fact Sheet - March 2009 (5 page PDF, 182 KB)
- Continue with SVI study and mitigation of impacted structures as necessary.
Site Location and Description:
General/Location
This 4.5-acre site, a New York State Class 2 inactive hazardous waste disposal site, is located at 107-10 180th Street in Jamaica, Queens, in a mixed commercial/residential area (See Figure 1, 1 Page PDF, 400KB). The West Side Corporation property was used as a storage and distribution center for chemicals used in the dry cleaning industry from approximately 1969 to 1990. The depth to groundwater around the site is 10-15 feet below the ground surface. The facility is currently leased by a bus company (Atlantic Express) and is used for servicing, storage, and dispatch of school buses.
Up until 1982, several groundwater production wells (formally owned and operated by the Jamaica Water Supply Company) were located to the north, west, and southwest of the site. These wells were used to supplement the local public water drinking system during periods of high demand, particularly during summer months. As part of the Brooklyn-Queens Aquifer (BQA) Feasibility Study, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) is planning to restart several groundwater production wells located downgradient of the site to address flooding problems from a rising water table and to potentially provide a future source of potable water. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Department) and NYCDEP have been working together to ensure that the BQA project is compatible with the remediation of the West Side Corporation site.
As part of cooperative agreements between the NYCDEP and the Department, the NYCDEP will be installing a groundwater treatment system at NYCDEP Station 24, located adjacent to the West Side Corporation Site. Among other provisions, the cooperative agreements call for the NYCDEP to design, construct, and shakedown a groundwater treatment system at Station 24, in support of the Department's remediation effort at the site. The purpose of the Station 24 groundwater treatment system is to provide containment, removal, and treatment of contaminated groundwater resulting from prior bulk storage and distribution of the dry cleaning fluid "perchloroethylene" (PCE) at the West Side Corporation site.
Operational/Disposal History
The site was used for the manufacture and distribution of ceramic pipes and fittings until 1969. From about 1969 to 1992, the site was used as a storage and distribution center for laundromat supplies, hangers, plastic garment bags, and most notably dry cleaning chemicals including large quantities of PCE. The property was operated as the West Side Corporation. Five 10,000-gallon aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) were located outside the southeast portion of the site building and were used for the storage of PCE. These tanks were filled via truck tankers and via railroad tanker cars. Railroad tracks were located between the building and the ASTs. The piping from the ASTs extended into the southern portion of the building where PCE was dispensed into 55-gallon drums for distribution to dry-cleaning establishments. Apparently, improper handling of the chemicals has resulted in the disposal of hazardous wastes, primarily PCE, at the site, some of which were released or have migrated in groundwater from the site to surrounding areas, including the properties to the south and west. Station 24, a property previously owned and operated by the former Jamaica Water Supply (JWS) Company and currently a New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) property, is located adjacent to the site.
Historical data indicate that contaminated groundwater from the site was drawn toward the former JWS Company wells when they were in operation. Analytical data from that time is not available but current and historical information suggests that the concentration of PCE that may have been introduced to the water distribution system was likely low due to dilution.
Remedial Investigation/Findings
The site was first listed in the New York State Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Sites in August 1997 on the basis of information contained in a subsurface investigation report provided to the Department by the New York City Corporation Counsel. According to the report prepared by EEA, Inc., for a potential purchaser groundwater was found to contain up to 50,000 parts per billion (ppb) of PCE and soil up to 3,100 parts per million (ppm) of PCE.
The current owner(s) of the site declined to undertake the remediation of the site. Therefore, a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was initiated by the Department in July 1998 under the New York State Superfund Program.
During the investigation of Operable Unit No. 1 (on-site), it was determined that groundwater contamination extends downgradient (the direction of groundwater flow) of the site to the south-southwest. The concentrations of PCE were as high as 5,900 ppm in shallow soils and as high as 7,100 ppm in deep soils in the area where the storage tanks were located. The concentration of PCE in shallow groundwater in that area was found up to 210,000 ppb. Concentrations decrease in the direction of groundwater flow (south-southwest). The depth to groundwater around the site is 10 to 15 feet below the ground surface. A Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) for Operable Unit No. 1 was released for public comment in February 2000 and a Record of Decision (ROD) was signed on July 31, 2000. The ROD specified groundwater extraction and treatment, hydraulic containment, soil vapor extraction on (SVE) and treatment chemical oxidation for soils in the highly contaminated source area, and restrictions on the use of the site to ensure long-term effectiveness of the remedy. While this effort is targeting the remediation of contaminated soil on the WSC site, a plume of PCE-contaminated groundwater, which originates on the WSC site has migrated to the south-southwest. This is also in the direction of the NYCDEP Groundwater System Station 6, a past and proposed drinking water treatment facility. To define the extent of off-site contamination and develop a remedy, Operable Unit 2 was established.
Site Cleanup Approaches/Decisions
On-Site Cleanup:
The remedy consisted of electrical resistive heating (ERH) to thermally treat the source zone and recover PCE at the surface and soil vapor extraction (SVE) technologies to greatly reduce the amount of PCE in soil and groundwater.
On July 31, 2000, the Department signed a Record of Decision (ROD) which selected a remedy to clean up the soil and groundwater on the site itself ("Operable Unit No. 1, OU1"). The ROD specified groundwater extraction and treatment, hydraulic containment, soil vapor extraction and treatment, and chemical oxidation for soils in the highly contaminated source area for the on-site remedy. The Department will also seek to impose restrictions on the use of the site to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the on-site remedy.
One component of the remedy for OU1 was to perform a pilot-scale study to assess the effectiveness of injecting a chemical oxidizer to reduce the amount of the PCE in the most heavily contaminated portion of the site. During the fall and winter of 2001, a pilot-scale study was performed by the Department's Engineer as part of the remedial design. Although some reduction in contamination was noted, the Department concluded that the reduction was not great enough to move ahead with the full-scale application of this in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) technique. The Engineer was asked to evaluate other technologies that could be used in the highly contaminated source area. This evaluation was completed during May/June 2002 and the conclusion was a recommendation to use a technology called electrical resistive heating (ERH). Although the technology to be used in the highly contaminated source area was different, the approach was the same as ISCO. Specifically, contamination was treated in-place ("in-situ" to a depth of approximately 55 feet below the ground surface) to greatly reduce the amount of PCE in soil and groundwater. In September 2002, an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was issued by the Department revising the OU1 remedy to incorporate the ESD technology.
Design of the OU-1, on-site cleanup was completed in June 2004 and the contract for cleanup was advertised for bid by the Department in June 2004. Clayton Group Services, Inc. (CGS) of Edison, New Jersey, submitted the apparent low bid of $3,848,902 in August 2004. CGS received a formal notice to proceed with the cleanup work from the Department in mid-November 2004. Construction of the ERH/SVE treatment system was completed in early December 2005. Power up of the ERH treatment system was initiated in December 2005. Successful operation and confirmation of successful performance was completed in April 2006. The ERH system removed approximately 3,500 - 4000 pounds of PCE and other volatile organic compounds. Post-treatment soil sampling found that 24 of the 25 samples contained no evidence of PCE. In the one remaining sample, the amount of PCE detected was barely slightly above the detection level and well below SCGs. In addition, the ERH system removed over 500 pounds of PCE by-products. Although the target of ERH remediation was soil contamination, groundwater monitoring sampling in the area, conducted from December 2005 through April 2006, showed significant decreases in the levels of PCE in groundwater.
Off-Site Groundwater Cleanup:
A second ROD was signed in February 2002 that addresses contaminated groundwater that has moved from the site to the south-southwest ("Operable Unit No. 2, OU2"). Thermal treatment will remediate PCE, groundwater, and highly contaminated soil found on-site. Any contaminated groundwater that may have migrated off-site following on-site source treatment is expected to be captured by the OU2 (off-site) Station 24 groundwater extraction system and/or subject to natural attenuation.
As part of the OU2 remedy, two recovery wells will be used on the Station 24 site. One of these wells, has been installed and developed and is ready for installation of a pump and appurtenances. The second well will be drilled either after the treatment system has been installed so that contaminated water drawn during well development can be treated prior to discharge, or, at the Contractor's discretion, a temporary treatment facility for development water can be used.
The system is expected to treat groundwater with a elevated PCE concentration along with other volatile organic compounds at lower concentrations. Treated groundwater will be disposed of into an existing on-site storm sewer that ultimately is discharged into Bergen Basin. A permit for discharge of treated water from Station 24 to the storm sewer system has been established by the Department and includes appropriate final discharge limits. A network of observation wells has also been installed to monitor the performance of the recovery wells and to collect water quality samples.
Soil Vapor Intrusion Study:
Operable Unit No. 3 (OU3): Since May 2005, the Department and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) have tested soil gas and the air in and surrounding over 120 homes near the former West Side facility to monitor the effects of vapor intrusion. As a result, the Department has installed sub-slab depressurization systems in more than twenty-five (25) homes to date.
Current Status:
Although the target of ERH remediation was soil contamination, groundwater monitoring sampling in the area, conducted from December 2005 through April 2006, showed significant decreases in the levels of PCE in groundwater. On-site groundwater monitoring and SVE treatment system operations were initiated by the Department in July 2006 and currently continues.
NYCDEP has completed remedial design of the OU2 Station 24 remedy and will undertake construction and shakedown of the remedy. The construction contract was advertised for bid by the NYSDEP in Fall 2007. Award of the contract occurred during the Summer 2008. Construction activities are expected to commence in Spring 2009. The NYCDEP will be performing construction management services. The Department will take over site management responsibilities of the treatment system following three successful months of operation by the NYCDEP after start-up.
The Department is currently undertaking a SVE study within the residential area located south-southwest of the site. Additional plume delineation and an indoor vapor intrusion study was recently completed during the Summer 2008. The results indicate that the off-site PCE plume, although quite narrow, currently extends past Merrick Boulevard to the south. Several properties have already received mitigation systems. The Department has also installed additional monitoring wells to monitor the capture of the off-site plume that is expected to occur once the Station 24 pumping wells become operational in the Fall 2009. During the Spring 2009, the State will evaluate the information collected over the winter to determine the nature and extent of the contamination and what, if any, additional work and mitigation may be necessary. Based on the findings, the State will again propose further actions during Spring 2009, if deemed necessary, within the study area.
