United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region II
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The facility is located at 30 Kellogg Road, City of Cortland, Cortland County, New York.  The property is approximately 50 acres in size and contained a large main production building, interconnected with several smaller production buildings, an office building and several support buildings, including a flammable storage building and a hazardous waste storage garage (buildings one through five).  The total size of the facility buildings was estimated at 367,000 ft before buildings one and two were razed in 2008.

The Buckbee-Mears facility was purchased by International Electron Devices (IED) on October 26, 2004.   IED operated the facility until May, 2005, when they closed due to a lack of funding.   A large number of the bulk chemicals used in production and the chemical wastes from past operations were abandoned on Site.  These materials included: strong acids and caustics in large tanks, drums, process piping and numerous small containers throughout the facility.  Approximately seven cylinders of chlorine gas were also abandoned on Site.

During the summer of 2006, the Cortland Police Department responded to a report of vandalism and became concerned when they discovered the large amount of chemicals which had been abandoned at the Site.  The Cortland Police subsequently notified the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) of their findings.  On July 27, 2006, representatives from the NYSDEC, the Cortland Police and Fire Departments and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a Site visit.  The visit confirmed the presence of numerous hazardous substances in drums, tanks and cylinders throughout the facility.  The potential for a chemical release was deemed serious because the facility was idle with no security and all utilities had been terminated.  On August 1, 2006, the NYSDEC formally requested the EPA to conduct a removal action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) at this Site.        

Negotiations with the PRP to perform the required clean up actions resulted in EPA issuing an Administrative Order on September 29, 2006.  The PRP initially complied with the Order, but ceased correspondence with EPA in early November, 2006.   Following several acts of vandalism at the facility, EPA initiated a Removal Action on January 10, 2007.

On May 27, 2009, the ERRS contractor demobilized from the Site.  Since all work specified in the action memorandum had been completed, this serves as the completion date for the removal action.  However, occasional site visits occurred in order to check the conditions of the remaining buildings.  After security was terminated, the Cortland City Police Department increased patrols until the State Bank of India re-established 24/7 security to protect remaining assets.

None

None.  The removal action is complete.

None

Type of Material Quantity Facility Name Treatment

7-150 # cylinders of 1,050 lbs JCI Recycle and/or
Chlorine Gas Caledonia, NY Reuse

14-33.5# cylinders of    469 lbs Suburban Propane Recycle and/or
Propane Cortland, NY Reuse

Refrigerant 8,000 lbs Hudson Technologies Recycle and/or
                                                Pearl River, NY Reuse

Anhydrous Ammonia 1,300 gals Airgas Recycle and/or
Donora, PA Reuse

3-150 # Cylinders    450 lbs Airgas Recycle and/or
Anhydrous Ammonia Donora, PA Reuse

7-30# Freon Cylinders   210 lbs Airgas East, Inc. Recycle and/or
Syracuse, NY Reuse

Miscellaneous            22 Total Haun Welding Recycle and/or
Compressed Gas   (3 acetylene, Syracuse, NY Reuse
Cylinders                 3 argon, &
               11 oxygen)

Sulfuric Acid, 93% 5,900 gals Bradford Dyes Reuse
Bradford, RI

Hydrochloric Acid 4,220 gals Advanced Recycling Recycle
Chambersburg, PA

Miscellaneous     45 units Interstate Refrigerant Recycle
Compressed Gas Recovery
Cylinders Foxboro, MA

Waste Nitric 4,800 gals Reserve Environ. Waste Water
Acid Ashtabula, OH Treatment

Waste Ferric 1,475 gals EQ Detroit, Inc. Waste Water
Chloride Detroit, MI Treatment

Waste Sodiu                  17 tons Clean Harbors Waste Water
Hydroxide Bristol, CT Treatment

F006 Sludge      52 CY Envirite of PA Treatment/
                                                York, PA Landfill

Hazardous C&D    180 CY Michigan Disposal Landfill
Belleville, MI
Non-Haz    210 CY Seneca Meadows Landfill
(ferric chloride debris Waterloo, NY

Non-Haz C&D    810 CY Waste Management Landfill
Fairport, NY
Non-Haz C&D 1,040 CY Seneca Meadows Landfill Waterloo, NY

Non-Haz Sludge     40 CY Seneca Meadows Landfill
Waterloo, NY

Non-Haz Sludge     60 CY Pine Grove Landfill Landfill
Amanda, OH