Environment DEC
From the July 2003 issue
Time Warner Completes Site Cleanup in Syracuse
A project to remove contamination from a site that Time Warner Cable of Syracuse will use for their new 24-hour cable news station has been completed. As a participant in the state's Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP), Time Warner worked with DEC and the State Department of Health to investigate and complete remediation of the abandoned property. The new cable station will result in more than 90 new jobs.
An historic limestone structure dating to 1937 still stands on the property, which Time Warner Cable owns. Located at 815 Erie Blvd. East, the property was once the site of a passenger train station, a bus station and an auto repair shop. This 2.3-acre site has been vacant and was found to be contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds, including areas containing elevated levels of mercury and lead. Most of the soil contamination came from eight underground petroleum tanks used by the automobile repair shop; they have since been removed.
Remediation Procedures and Cost
The new facility will provide
nearly 100 new jobs
The state's VCP was established in 1994 to facilitate the reuse of contaminated sites by eliminating barriers hindering redevelopment and encouraging private sector cleanup of brownfield sites. Brownfields are abandoned or underused properties where real or perceived environmental contamination hinders the potential for redevelopment.
In November 2001, Time Warner began the cleanup and restoration of the former train station building. Under the VCP agreement, remediation included excavation of residual petroleum-contaminated soil and low-level mercury contaminated soils and then capping the impacted areas with pavement and clean soil. A groundwater monitoring program included installation of six new groundwater wells. The total cost to Time Warner was more than $1 million.
Other Cleanups in Syracuse
Investigation and remediation activities have begun on two other properties near downtown Syracuse. S & W Redevelopment, LLC, a member of the Stearns & Wheler Companies, entered into two VCPs with DEC for locations at 415 South West St. and 1915 Erie Blvd. East.
