News Releases from Region 02
EPA Deletes a Portion of Robintech Inc./National Pipe Co. Site in Vestal, New York from Federal Superfund List
EPA Deletes a Portion of Robintech Inc./National Pipe Co. Site in Vestal, New York from Federal Superfund List
Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov
NEW YORK (May 14, 2019) – Following a cleanup that addressed approximately 10,000 tons of contaminated soil and millions of gallons of contaminated groundwater, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deleted most of the Robintech Inc./National Pipe Co. site in Vestal, New York from the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal Superfund list of the most contaminated hazardous waste sites. Both EPA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) agree that the cleanup at 9.7 acres of the site property has been completed.
“Removing cleaned up sites from the federal Superfund list signals to the surrounding communities that EPA has completed the job of transforming these once highly contaminated areas, which is a priority for EPA,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “Superfund is a cornerstone of the work EPA does to protect human health and leave our communities better off than we first started.”
The decision to remove 9.7 acres of the 12.7-acre property from the NPL comes after several reviews of the site and the contamination in the soil and groundwater beneath the site. EPA accepted public comments on the proposed deletion for 30 days before deleting a portion of the site.
Deletion of a site from the NPL occurs when site cleanups are successfully implemented, and no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment. The agency also deletes portions of sites when work there is complete while other parts of the site still have ongoing actions.
Background
The Robintech Inc./National Pipe Co. site housed a facility that manufactured polyvinyl chloride pipes. Other manufacturing operations at the site contaminated the soil and groundwater with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including dichloroethane. The site was placed on the NPL in 1986 after it was linked to chemical contamination in local groundwater.
Robinson Technical Products owned the property from 1966 to 1970, Robintech, Inc. from 1970 to 1982, and later by the Buffton Corporation. In 1996, the corporation changed its name to BFX Hospitality, Inc.
Under EPA oversight, BFX Hospitality, Inc. took actions called for in the 1997 EPA cleanup plan for the site to protect the public and the environment from VOCs in the soil and groundwater. These actions included the thermal treatment of over 10,000 cubic yards of excavated VOC- contaminated soil. The treated soil was then used as backfill for the excavated areas of the site. In addition, the corporation used an existing network of production wells to extract contaminated groundwater. In the meantime, the town has prohibited the installation of new drinking water wells in the impacted area. The cleanup of VOC-contaminated soil was completed in 2001.
This deletion action removes all but 3 acres of the property in the area west of the former manufacturing building and warehouse and south to Old Vestal Road, as well as the off-property portion of the site’s overburden and bedrock aquifers. Alternatives to address the residual levels of VOCs in the groundwater related to the 3-acre portion of the property are being evaluated. EPA is expected to determine and deploy a cleanup strategy over the next several years.
EPA has determined that no further federal action is required at the deleted 9.7 acres of the site property. The agency will continue to monitor the groundwater and conduct a review every 5 years to ensure the effectiveness of the cleanup.
To learn more about the site and to view deletion rationale, please visit www.epa.gov/superfund/robintech
EPA’s “Superfund Task Force Recommendations 2018 Update” is available at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-status-recommendations.
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