Tract I Highland Avenue BCP Site
Fact Sheet - May 2012
Draft Remedial Investigation Work Plan Available for Public Comment
The public is invited to comment on a draft work plan being reviewed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to investigate Tract I Highland Avenue ("site") located at 3123 Highland Avenue, Niagara Falls, Niagara County.
Documents related to the cleanup of this site can be found at the locations identified below under "Where to Find Information" as well as in the "Important Links" section in the right hand column of this page.
Draft Investigation Work Plan
The draft investigation work plan, called a "Remedial Investigation Work Plan," was submitted to DEC under New York's Brownfield Cleanup Program. The investigation will be performed with oversight by DEC and the New York State Department of Health (DOH). The investigation will assess conditions on-site (and if appropriate, off-site).
How to Comment
DEC is accepting written comments about the draft investigation work plan, called the "Supplemental Remedial Investigation Work Plan" for 30 days, from May 9, 2012 through June 8, 2012. The proposed plan is available for review at the locations identified below under "Where to Find Information" as well as in the "Important Links" section in the right hand column of this page. Please submit comments to the project manager listed under Project Related Questions in the "Who to Contact" area below.
Highlights of the Proposed Site Investigation
The site investigation has several goals:
- Define the nature and extent of contamination in soil, surface water, groundwater and any other parts of the
environment that may be affected; - Identify the source(s) of the contamination;
- Assess the impact of the contamination on public health and the environment; and
- Provide information to support the development of a proposed remedy to address the contamination
Next Steps
DEC will consider public comments, revise the plan as necessary, and approve the work plan. DOH must concur with the plan. The approved work plan will be made available to the public (see "Where to Find Information" below). After the work plan is approved, the activities detailed in the work plan will be implemented.
When the investigation is completed, a report will be prepared and submitted to the DEC that summarizes the results. DEC will review the report, make any necessary revisions and, if appropriate, approve the report. After the investigation, a cleanup plan, called a "Remedial Work Plan" will be developed and a Decision Document will be proposed. The cleanup plan will include an evaluation of the proposed site remedy, or recommend a no action or no further action alternative. The goal of the cleanup plan is to ensure the protection of public health and the environment. DEC will present the proposed cleanup plan to the public for its review and comment during a 45-day comment period. DEC will keep the public informed throughout the
investigation and cleanup of the site.
Background
Location:
The Tract I Site is located in a mixed light industrial, commercial and residential area at 3123 Highland Ave in the City of Niagara Falls in Niagara County. It is approximately 5.90 acres and is bounded by Highland Ave to the west, the Tulip Corporation, a plastics recycling company to the north, a 60 foot wide National Grid/Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. utility right-of-way to the east and the Tract II Highland Avenue State Superfund Site (DEC Site Number 932136) to the south and east. Several commercial establishments and the Niagara Falls Alternative School are located to the west of the Property. Residential areas are located approximately 400 feet south and 700 feet east of the Site.
Site Features:
The site is mostly covered (approximately 3.3 acres) by the former Power City Warehouse Building, a three-story masonry building in various levels of disrepair. A small one-story building (approximately 462 square feet) is located in the northeast corner of the Site. Roughly 30 percent of the site is grass and concrete surface, 15 percent wooded and undergrowth, and approximately 55 percent building structures. The western portion of the Site consists of a grassy area and a gravel drive to the loading dock area.
Historical Uses:
The Power City Warehouse was formerly a battery manufacturing facility. Sometime around 1910, U.S. Light and Hest Co., and later Autolite Co., began automobile, truck, and tractor battery manufacturing. Prestolite Co. acquired the facility in the 1960s and retooled operations for manufacturing of hard rubber battery cases, filling of batteries with sulfuric acid, and battery charging. Operations at the facility ceased in the mid-1970s and relocated to 3001 Highland Avenue. After battery manufacturing ended in the mid-1970s, the site was used as an automotive body shop and a warehouse. The site has been vacant since the late 1980s. In 1990, the city of Niagara Falls retained ownership of the site due to tax foreclosure. Due to historical operations at the site, there were environmental concerns about potential residual impacts associated with the battery manufacturing processes. In December 2011, Brightfields Corporation submitted a Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) application to further evaluate the contamination at the site, and to evaluate remedial alternatives to address this contamination. This site was accepted into the BCP in March 2012. A Brownfield Cleanup Agreement between the applicant and the Department was executed in April 2012. Additional site details, including environmental and health assessment summaries are also available in the Environmental Site Database.
Where to Find Information
Project documents are available at the following locations to help the public stay informed.
Doris W. Jones Family Resource Center
3001 9th Street
Niagara Falls, NY 14305
phone: 716-285-5374
DEC Region 9 Office
270 Michigan Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14203
phone: 716-851-7220
Who to Contact
Comments and questions are always welcome and should be directed as follows:
Project Related Questions
Timothy Dieffenbach
Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Environmental Remediation
270 Michigan Ave
Buffalo, NY 14203-2915
716-851-7220
Site-Related Health Questions
Matthew Forcucci
New York State Department of Health
584 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
716-847-4501
beei@health.state.ny.us
