In mid-2007, NYSDEC contacted the Region 2 EPA and requested EPA assistance with an abandoned paint store in the City of Glens Falls, NY. The building had been acquired by the City through tax foreclosure, and the dangerous contents of the building were discovered while the property was being evaluated for a Brownfields redevelopment Grant.
The building was located in the center of a residental area, adjacent to an elementary school and ball field. The majority of materials in the building were identified by DEC as paint and solvents. It was reported that there was a strong solvent odor emanating from the building.
OSC Daly met up with DEC and City officials on September 20, 2007, to perform a preliminary assessment. OSC Daly observed that the roof structure was deteriorated, and that approximately 1,000 rusted containers of paint and solvent were haphazardly stored throughout the facility. EPA conducted air monitoring at the perimeter of the building, inside the premises, and along the school grounds. Readings above background were discovered inside the building where the bulk of the solvents were located.
The building consisted of three levels: the main level, a basement, and an attic. The entire structure was unstable. The roof was dramatically bowed and perforated, and the main room ceiling was collapsing. Solvents and unknown leaking/rusted containers were located on all 3 levels and haphazardly stacked.
EPA was officially requested to assist with this site by the Mayor of Glens Falls, the Glens Falls Fire Department, and school officials. The NYSDEC issued a verbal referral of the site to EPA on September 20, 2007. Based on the verbal referral, on Sepetmber 20, 2007, Region 2 ERRD Director G. Pavlou issued verbal authorization and funding for an emergency removal action. A formal written referral from the NYSDEC to EPA was issued on September 21, 2007.
EPA mobilized its ERRS contractors on September 24, 2007. Initial efforts concentrated on stabilizing the roof/ceiling to ensure a safe working environment and identifying/consolidating the solvents and unknowns. All hazardous substances were packaged into cubic-yard boxes and staged in Conex shipping containers in an adjacent parking lot. The hazardous substances were shipped off-site and the removal action was completed on October 10, 2007.
The City demolished the empty structure in the fall of 2007. Subsequently, a Phase II investigation was initiated by the City. On June 24, 2008, the City received a Phase II report which revealed the presence of elevated levels of mercury in the soil underneath the footprint of the building. EPA received a written request from the City for assistance in removing the contaminated soil on July 7, 2008, and a written referral from the NYSDEC was issued on August 8, 2008. OSC Paul Kahn has assumed the lead role in this phase of the removal action.
Please see the Frasier Paint Site listing for information on the original removal action.
