DEC Says Cleanup To Start At Dunkirk Site

DUNKIRK –  Action to address contamination will start soon at the former Edgewood Warehouse Site located at 320 South Roberts Rd., according to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

Image by NYS DEC.

The Krog Group, LLC will perform the cleanup, with the DEC providing oversight. The DEC has approved the plan after determining that the Remedial Work Plan (RWP) protects public health and the environment. Activities are expected to begin this month and last about five months.
Key components of the remedy include the removal of debris, asbestos, contaminated wood block flooring and contaminated sediments in floor drains, from the abandoned warehouse on-site. On-site buildings will be demolished, which is not required for site cleanup.
Soil will be excavated from three “hotspots”, areas with concentrations of semi-volatile organic compounds and some metals that are above levels typical for the site. Contaminated groundwater will be treated in place, with reactive agents added to the subsurface.
A venting, depressurization system will be installed beneath the existing warehouse or any new structures built, if the potential for soil contaminant vapor entering those structures exist. The site will also be covered with a one-foot layer of clean soil, pavement or concrete floor.
A site-specific health and safety plan (HASP) and a Community Air Monitoring Plan (CAMP) will reportedly be implemented during remediation activities. The HASP and CAMP establish procedures to protect on-site workers and residents and includes required air monitoring as well as dust and odor suppression measures.
After the applicant completes the cleanup, they will prepare a Final Engineering Report and submit it to the DEC. The FER will describe the cleanup activities completed and certify that cleanup requirements have been achieved or will be achieved.
When the DEC is satisfied with the cleanup, it will approve the Final Engineering Report. The DEC will issue a Certificate of Completion to the applicant. The applicant would have no liability to the state for contamination at or coming from the site, subject to certain conditions, and would be eligible for tax credits to offset the costs of performing cleanup activities and for redevelopment of the site.
A fact sheet will be issued by the DEC describing the content of the Final Engineering Report.
The site was once part of a larger industrial complex, owned and operated by the American Locomotive Company, which first developed the site in 1910. ALCO manufactured locomotives at this complex until 1930.
Manufacturing operations later produced heat exchangers, pressure vessels, steel piping, military equipment and nuclear reactor components. The larger building on-site was later used by a local dairy and ice cream business as a warehouse for equipment and packaging and operational supplies.