For Release: Thursday, July 19, 2007
DEC Announces Brownfield Grants For Chautauqua, Albany, Suffolk, And Jefferson Counties
$567,326 for Cleanup of Contaminated Sites in City of Dunkirk, City of Albany, East Patchogue, and Town of Watertown
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced $567,326 in Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) grants for the investigation and remediation of environmental contamination at sites in Chautauqua, Albany, Suffolk, and Jefferson counties. The grants are being funded through the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act.
"Restoring brownfields throughout New York State is a top priority for Governor Spitzer and the Department," Commissioner Grannis said. "These collaborative restoration efforts between the state and local municipalities are essential partnerships in the goal of enhancing communities across the state toward their fullest potential. Brownfield redevelopment provides communities with new economic development possibilities, improved local economies and job opportunities and is also a vital step in preserving the state's natural resources."
ERP grants cover up to 90 percent of eligible costs for on-site remedial activitiesand up to 100 percent of eligible off-site costs. Grant recipients are eligible for state assistance through the ERP because they are not responsible for causing the contamination. Grant recipients will cover the balance of the costs.
The Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act authorized $1.75 billion for a range of important environmental programs. The Bond Act included $200 million for ERP grants to municipalities for costs associated with the investigation and cleanup of brownfields. Other applications are under review by DEC and additional grants are anticipated in the near future. Brownfields are abandoned or underused properties where real or perceived environmental contamination hinders the potential for redevelopment.
The ERP grants announced today include:
$132,356 to the City of Dunkirk, Chautauqua County: For the investigation of environmental contamination at the Edgewood Warehouse site.
The approximately seven-acre Edgewood Warehouse site is part of a larger, inactive industrial park located at 320 South Roberts Road in the City of Dunkirk. The site contains a 165,000 square-foot warehouse plus a second, smaller vacant building. Heavy industrial and commercial use of the site began in 1909 with the manufacturing of locomotives and has also included the manufacturing of military equipment, and stainless steel and wood products. Edgewood Investments, Inc. began using the main building as a warehouse in 1982. The company has since abandoned the site and is delinquent in property tax payments. Chautauqua County will begin a foreclosure proceeding in order to conduct the investigation.
In the late 1990's, preliminary assessments of environmental conditions at the site identified a number of contamination problems. Asbestos containing materials are present in the warehouse and asbestos waste from past demolition activities may be buried on-site. Certain electrical equipment in the warehouse likely contains polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Surface and subsurface soil contamination with chemicals and metals seems to be widespread. Contaminated sediment is also present in drains both inside and outside the warehouse and contaminants are present in the groundwater to an unknown extent.
Chautauqua County's investigation will provide sufficient data on each of these contamination problems to allow for a determination of the extent to which they pose an unacceptable risk to public health and the environment. Upon its completion, the Department will determine the cleanup activities necessary to make the site safe for reuse. The County believes the site is a prime candidate for redevelopment due to its existing utility infrastructure, its location near highway and railroad transportation and within a thriving business corridor, and the possibility of rehabilitating and reusing the warehouse building.
$139,300 to the City of Albany, Albany County: For the remediation of environmental contamination at the Arbor Hill Gateway Properties site.
The City of Albany will remediate the property located along the west side of Henry Johnson Boulevard, between Livingston Avenue and Colonie Street. The property to be remediated consists of 0.5 acres. A vehicle maintenance, repair, and refueling facility was formerly operated at one property that may have contributed to contamination. A remedial Investigation/Alternatives Analysis Report (RI/AAR) has been completed by the City of Albany and the Record of Decision for Operable Unit - 01 was signed in March 2007.
The remediation will include monitoring of the natural attenuation processes occurring at the site, by sampling and analyzing groundwater and soil vapor and development of a site management plan. The property will be redeveloped into a passive recreational park.
$50,670 to the County of Suffolk: For the investigation of environmental contamination at the Former Bellport Gas Station Site in East Patchogue.
Suffolk County will investigate the property located at 1401 Montauk Highway, consisting of 0.3-acres and located in an environmental justice community. It was operated as a gas station and vehicle repair shop by a number of independent operators over the years and is now abandoned. The County took title in 1999 for failure to pay property taxes. Three underground gasoline storage tanks and one underground waste oil tank were removed in 1988. Four above ground outdoor 275-gallon tanks (kerosene and fuel oil) were removed in 1991. An indoor floor drain discharged waste liquid to an outdoor storm drain dry well.
An environmental audit conducted in 1998 documented contamination in the floor drain and two outdoor drywells. The site was further investigated as part of a Site Characterization (SC) Report which was conducted under an EPA Target Site Assessment (TSA) grant. The results indicated that concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in site groundwater, subsurface soil, surface soil, soil gas and subsurface structures. Concentrations of semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were detected in site ground water and the subsurface structures. Elevated levels of metal compounds were also detected in the groundwater, subsurface soil, surface soil and subsurface structures.
The investigation will include the delineation of the vertical and horizontal extent of the VOC soil and ground water contamination as well as the sampling of the two dry wells at the site. At the conclusion of the investigation, a determination will be made on the remedial activities necessary to address the site contamination and make the site safe for future use. At this time, the parcel is planned to be auctioned off and returned to commercial use.
$245,000 to the Town of Watertown, Jefferson County: For the investigation of environmental contamination at the Watertown Center Expressmart.
The 0.71 acre site is a former petroleum distribution center and convenience store which has been vacant since 1994. Several structures remain on site along with at least two 4,000 gallon underground storage tanks that contained various grades of gasoline. Investigations at adjacent properties have shown that the use and distribution of petroleum at Watertown Center Expressmart has impacted both soil and groundwater. The Town will take ownership of the property in the near future in order to conduct the program.
The investigation will include evaluation of soil and groundwater both on-site and off-site. The deteriorated on-site structures will be removed to allow for investigation efforts and to remove the underground storage tanks, piping and contaminated soils. The Town of Watertown intends on restoring the site to a commercially viable property.
