Site flagged for contamination to undergo additional environmental investigation

BY ERIKA NORTON
MOUNTAINVILLE — A detailed environmental study into the contamination at the site of the former Star Anchors & Fasteners Company at 20 Industry Drive in Mountainville is set to begin.
The planned study was announced in a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation press release and according to Wendy Rosenbach, spokesperson for the DEC, a fact sheet was distributed to the public in an effort to keep the public informed, as is standard practice.
The 37-acre site, which has changed hands several times since the late 1990s, is part of the state’s Superfund Program, which identifies and characterizes suspected inactive hazardous waste disposal sites that pose a significant threat to public health and/or the environment.
Each site goes through a process of investigation, evaluation, cleanup and monitoring, in addition to the DEC attempting to identify parties responsible for the contamination and require cleanup before committing state funds.
“The main goal of this investigation is to address data gaps from previous investigations and get a comprehensive view of the extent of contamination on the property, if any,” Rosenbach said, “and to develop a remedy to address any contamination that may be present at the site.”
The site is currently owned by Cornwall Properties, LLC, a company with a Village of Kiryas Joel address.
Site historyThe Star Expansion Company, a family-owned business which manufactured metal fasteners such as bolts, nuts, screws and rivets, owned the company in the early 1900s. Star was owned by Ralph E. “Ted” Ogden, according to Harvard Magazine archives, and in the 1950s, H. Peter Stern became a partner at the company, eventually buying out Ogden.
About five miles from the Star site, Ogden would later buy the 180-acre property which would become Storm King Art Center, founding the center with Stern.
In 1995, Star began conducting an environmental investigation for the property, required by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, but filed for bankruptcy in 1997, according to Rosenbach, and abandoned the site. Star NewCO then bought the property out of bankruptcy in 1997 and entered into a Consent Order with the DEC to clean up the site, but the work was not completed as this company filed for bankruptcy shortly after.
In 2004, the site was once again sold out of bankruptcy to the current owner, Cornwall Industries, LLC. Cornwall Industries attempted to continue with the investigations but failed to complete the required work, according to Rosenbach, and as a result, the DEC pursued an enforcement action that led Cornwall Properties to enter into a Consent Order with the DEC in October 2015 to develop and implement a “Remedial Investigation (RI)/Feasibility Study (FS)” work plan for the site. The work is a continuation of the previous incomplete investigations.
ContaminationAccording to assessment summaries on the NYSDEC website, based on the investigations conducted to date, hazardous wastes from a vapor degreaser operation have been disposed of at the site. Contaminants identified in the groundwater at the site include chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) and petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs), and contamination identified in subsurface soil include CVOCs, PHs and inorganics.
Releases of hazardous wastes or hazardous constituents have also occurred from some or all of the Solid Waste Management Units, according to the assessment. Lead, solvents and petroleum products are mentioned as contaminants of concern.
Homes, businesses and the adjacent recreational facility, Black Rock Rod and Gun Club, get their water from private or semi-private wells, according to the assessment, and there is a potential for impact to these surrounding wells, particularly those drawing water from the bedrock aquifer.
The assessment states that investigations in 2005 identified elevated levels of volatiles in sub-slab soil vapor under the former manufacturing building and under a house on the site.
“The site presents a significant environmental threat due to the ongoing releases of contaminants from the source areas into the groundwater/soil vapor,” the assessment concludes.
WaterIn regards to potential water contamination, the assessment states that groundwater on-site is contaminated with chlorinated solvents. Public water supply wells are located within 1,000 meters of the site, but are hydrogeologically upgradient.
When asked whether any surrounding drinking water contamination has occurred in any nearby municipality to the site, Rosenbach said the DEC is not aware of any “off-site migration of contamination from the site.”
Private residential wells are located within 200 meters of the site, the assessment states, and have also shown no contamination. Cornwall Supervisor Richard Randazzo confirmed that the DEC conducted testing of some of the nearby wells, but said it was probably six to eight years ago.
The Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson draws from the Moodna aquifer, which is just north of the Star property, Randazzo said, and he hasn’t heard of any drinking water contamination.
The site is also located in a valley along Woodbury Creek. When asked whether, Woodbury Creek has been affected by the contamination, Rosenbach said the DEC is also not aware at this time of any contamination of Woodbury Creek, and that evaluation of the creek will be part of the investigation.
The Village of Kiryas Joel has looked at using two of the wells on the site, as well as drilling wells near or on the site. According to Rosenbach, the water withdrawal application for Well Numbers 3 and 4 at the Star Expansion site was received from the Village of Kiryas Joel on Dec. 10, 2009. But on Aug. 2, 2012, the application was withdrawn at the request of the Village.
Wells 3 and 4 on the Star Expansion site were given as potential water sources in the SEQRA environmental study done in 2015 during the Village’s 164-acre annexation process. The DEC currently does not have any active permits for these wells.
But, according to Randazzo, Kiryas Joel is planning to drill a couple wells just south of the site likely this spring.
Need for concern?According to Rosenbach, “there is no reason for concern based on available data.”
“The investigation and study will evaluate any potential pathways of contamination,” Rosenbach said, “and recommend any necessary cleanup alternatives that will be evaluated and implemented in the near future.”
Orange County residents with comments or concerns can find contact information for the DEC Region 3, which covers Orange County, at http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/607.html