HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CAG-2015-07-06Community Advisory Group (CAG) Minutes for July 6, 2015
Present: Nels Bohn as City Facilitator, Cynthia Brock, Ken Deschere, Regina Deschere
Guests: Bill Reed (Unchained Properties), Nick Reynolds (Ithaca Journal)
Emerson Plant Site – Chain Works District
We discussed a “permitee-initiated modification application” submitted by the new Emerson
subsidiary for these matters, “Emersub 15, LLC”. The application, which the DEC has made a
“tentative determination to approve”, requests changes to the SPDES (State Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System:
“(1) to eliminate the stormwater monitoring requirements and effluent limitations from
outfalls 001 and 003; and
(2)keep monitoring requirements limited to outfall 01A for treated groundwater only.”
The rationale for these changes is that after ceasing operations at the Ithaca Plant in December
2010, the facility eliminated the seasonal boiler blowdown discharges of wastewater through
outfall 001. The three outfalls are:
001 – which discharges treated groundwater and stormwater
01A – an “internal outfall” where the facility monitors treated groundwater
003 – which discharges stormwater.
Their output eventually reaches the creek and Cayuga Inlet.
The reported test results for these outfalls were all within the limits specified in the SPDES
permit. While this may console residents on South Cayuga Street downhill from the site, it is
also an indication of how little success the current groundwater treatment systems are achieving.
Groundwater in wells near the OU-1 (Fire Water Reservoir – FWR) area continues to have high
levels of contamination, despite years of treatment operations.
Other efforts going on at the EPT site:
•Emerson has asked that the “southern wooded areas”, which have not been used for
manufacturing operations, be removed from what is considered the hazardous waste site.
This might allow less strict standards to be applied to this area.
•PCB-laden soil has been removed from around Building 24.
•A Work Plan has been submitted to NYSDEC for an SRI (Supplemental Remedial
Investigation) needed to determine what steps must be taken to allow the site to meet the
“Mixed Use Development ” standards, which are more stringent than the current
Industrial site use requires.
•Additional investigation is being performed to assess the toxins in Area of Concern
(AOC) #1 - the former degreasing area – and which remedies are required.
•More upgrades are to be installed in the “Dual Phase Vacuum Extraction” system trying
to treat the groundwater in the old Fire Water Reservoir area. The extraction system has
not made significant progress in reducing the levels of groundwater toxins thus far.
Ithaca Falls Overlook / Ithaca Gun sites
At the Falls Overlook site, the island has been completely excavated and NYSDEC seems
satisfied with the effort. Cleanup has continued with the accessway along the western slope.
Lead was vacuumed out of the raceway and the “plunge pool” was removed. Thus, we think the
main parts of the overlook site have been remediated. Attention has been shifted to the perimeter
areas.
The EPA returned to these areas after having removed over 6000 tons of soil between 2002 and
2004. Tests performed this year again found unacceptable levels of lead in roughly half of the
soil samples taken. More samples are to be taken in July, in an attempt to determine how much
remediation is needed now. It is painful to realize that millions of dollars were spent on the
earlier cleanup just a decade ago. The EPA now seems ready to remove all possibly-affected
soil, rather than run repeated rounds of tests to find the ever-elusive “clean perimeter”. Clearly,
there has been a lot of continuing erosion from areas above the island, raceway, and plunge pool.
We believe that there will be one more set of Soil Vapor Intrusion (SVI) tests in and below
homes at the base of the hill. Thus far, only one home has had a mitigation system installed and
several others have been considered as “Monitor” homes. We need to contact property owners
who have not yet responded to offers of testing, to make them aware of this last chance at tests.
Stone Quarry Apartments
It is unclear whether NYSDEC has given a “final signoff” on the cleanup efforts at this site.
We’re not sure who within NYSDEC would do this – perhaps Dick Brazell? Though a
mitigation system (SSDS) is to be installed, tests of its efficacy will have to wait until heating
season.
Nate’s Floral Estates
In the 1950s and 1960s, the area which now contains Nate’s Floral Estates (NFE) and Lowe’s
was the municipal dump for the City. In 1970, all such dumps in Tompkins County stopped
operation with the opening of the Caswell Landfill in the Town of Dryden. The City dump pre-
dated “modern” solid waste rules, so it was not required to be lined, capped, or enclosed. In
1973, the Tompkins County Department of Health (TCDOH) issued a permit to construct a
“waste disposal system” for a mobile home park on the north end of the old dump site. Other
than a layer of soil, there is no evidence of any significant cleanup of the dump’s wastes before
the mobile homes were built on top.
After the first mobile homes were built, there were many requests from John Andersson
(TCDOH) and others for proper installation of devices to prevent cross-connection of possibly
contaminated water lines (many of which are plastic) and the risks to the public water supply.
There are no records of any of the requested plumbing upgrades being installed at NFE. In 1986,
NFE sought approval to expand the mobile home park. A letter from the lawyers for the NFE
owner (Dr. Reuben Weiner) indicates that they are not aware of any toxic conditions or water
issues at the site, and will not pay for testing or cease operations of NFE.
A meeting was held at TCDOH in May 1987, with representatives from the NFE owners and
attorneys, NYSDEC, NYSDOH, TCDOH, and the City. Local officials asserted that any permits
from 1973 had expired and would not permit additional development. Plumbing lines went
through wastes from the dump and were not installed to Code. Local approval could not be
given with prior approval from the state agencies. One of the concerns mentioned was Soil
Vapor Intrusion (SVI) and the methane leaking from the dump’s wastes. Installing “skirts”
around the bases of the mobile homes (as done at NFE) encourages methane to collect in the
homes. There have been explosions (at other sites) from this practice. Nonetheless, NFE
continued construction of new homes and ignored the warnings about the hazards of the skirts.
Exchanges of letters of concern continued, as did operation of NFE. An environmental site
assessment was performed by Clark Patterson Associates and reported in June 1999. Most toxin
levels found were relatively low, despite finding waste over twelve feet deep in places. Many of
the volatile compounds found in earlier spot tests now seemed to have dissipated. However,
various areas had metals (“barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and silver”) exceeding
background levels, and the levels of methane were considered a “significant concern”.
NYSDEC prepared a “Supplemental Investigation Report, Southwest Park Area”, dated
November 1 2000. Based on prior analysis and some additional samples, it concludes that “the
Southwest Park Area does not meet the definition of an Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal
Site”. A sect ion called the “drum disposal area” did have high levels of PCBs, arsenic, lead,
barium, and mercur y. The SI report urges “removal action” and “remediation to the extent
necessary to achieve recommended soil cleanup values.”
Walter Hang, Rich DePaolo, and Cynthia Brock have continued to raise these concerns. Records
of corrective actions actually taken are few, but the feeling expressed by county health officials
seems to be that there are no proven pathways for the remaining toxins to reach residents in
damaging amounts. Still, toxins, rusted drums, and methane gas remain. The parking lot at
Lowe’s - built on a southern section of Southwest Park - has tubes along the supports for their
parking lot lights, to discharge the gas being released from the wastes below.
Cynthia’s June 29 2015 letter to Common Council, officials of the City and County, and to
NYSDEC provides an excellent summary of this situation. The CAG should endorse her
concerns to Council. We must not permit expansion of the MH-1 zone for NFE.
Next Meeting: Monday, August 3rd, 6:00 – 7:30PM, 2nd Floor Conference Room, City Hall
Notes submitted by Ken Deschere