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EPA Selects Cleanup Plan For Contaminated Sediments in the St. Lawrence River Near The Reynolds Metal Company Facility in Massena, NY

Release Date: 10/01/1998
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(#98139) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected a modified cleanup plan for chemically contaminated sediments in the St. Lawrence River adjacent to the Reynolds Metals Company (RMC) facility in Massena, New York. This modified plan differs from the original plan in that, instead of treating the more contaminated sediments on-site, they will be sent off-site for treatment and/or landfilling at an approved facility. The modified plan also envisions that the least contaminated sediments will be placed in a different location than Black Mud Pond, a former disposal area at the RMC facility. The modified plan will cost an estimated $63 million and take one to two years to complete. This site is being addressed under EPA's national Superfund program.

"We are dealing with more dredged material than estimated in 1993 and, a change in market conditions has reduced the cost of off-site disposal," EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox explained. "For these reasons, we have been able to select a remedy that is equally protective of public health and the environment and is also less costly than the original plan."

EPA's plan of action consists of dredging approximately 77,600 cubic yards of river sediments contaminated with several chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) above 1 part per million (ppm). After dredging, contaminated sediments with PCB levels below 50 ppm will be safely disposed of on-site. Sediments with PCB levels between 50 and 500 ppm, will be shipped off-site for disposal at an approved landfill. The most contaminated dredged material, with PCB levels above 500 ppm, will be sent to an appropriate off-site facility for treatment. This new plan differs from the original remedy EPA selected in 1993, which called for the on-site treatment and/or disposal of all the contaminated dredged sediments. The RMC facility is an active aluminum production plant where past operations have resulted in the chemical contamination of plant property and the adjacent river system. The NYSDEC has developed and overseen the separate remedy to address land-based contamination on the RMC facility.

Site Description

The river system consists of specific portions of the St. Lawrence, Raquette and Grasse Rivers which border the RMC facility. It was the focus of a 1989 EPA Superfund Administrative Order under which the company initiated a number of investigations into the extent and nature of chemical contamination. The investigation showed that PCBs and other contaminants are present in the St. Lawrence River sediments near the RMC facility at concentrations which pose a threat to human health and wildlife. The greatest health risk is associated with the ingestion of PCB-contaminated fish caught in the St. Lawrence River by anglers.

For more information contact:
Richard Cahill, Press Office
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
NY, NY 10007-1866
Voice: 212-637-3666 FAX: 212-637-5046 E-Mail: cahill.richard@epamail.epa.gov