United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region II
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Site is a defunct tissue paper manufacturer aka paper converting) located in a rural area of Greenwich, NY, 20 miles east of Saratoga Springs, NY.

The company became defunct 2 years ago, had filed for liquidation bankruptcy, and the owner walked away from the property. The plant was purchased by St. Regis Investments, LLC, a company based in California. The original intent was to reopen the plant, but due to economic considerations the plant will be demolished and sold for residential development.

The Site occupies 27 acres in a rural/residential area, and is perched on the edge of a cliff over the Battenkill River. It has one large brick and wood, multi-level manufacturing consisting of a warehouse, two hydroelectric power plants, manufaturing areas, a lab, offices, and repair shops. There is a boiler house and an associated 20,000 gallon AST for waste oil. There are a number of small out-buildings used for vehicle and misc. equipment storage.

Security guard service was in-place from 8AM to 6PM, seven days a week, but was discontinued. The facility has limited access via a dirt road, however, the property is unfenced and the buildings are unlocked and unsecured.

Initially, this was an RP-lead removal action without an enforcement document.  However, at a point in the removal activities the RP informed EPA that he did not have the funds to continue the removal action, and asked that EPA take over.  After deliberating on the turn of events, and with a written site referral from the NYSDEC, EPA agreed to complete the removal action.

In connection with this proposed activity, the OSC and members of the US Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team visited the Site on September 6, 2005 to conduct field sampling/testing on 10 drums of unknown chemicals staged at the Site.  Test results revealed the presence of corrosive waste chemicals and flammable waste chemicals.

At the present time there are no on-going activities at the Site.  The OSC has been preparing the necessary documentation to open a Superfund account for this Site.

The current owner has granted EPA full access to his property to perform the removal action, and START is in the process of setting  up the administrative record and drafting a public notice.

At the present time, due to the deployment of EPA and contractor personnel to the Gulf region for hurricane recovery efforts, Site activities will not begin until those people have been relieved from their recovery activities and released back to the Region.  It is anticipated that removal activities will commence on or about December 1, 2005.

The OSC will complete all required paperwork documentation, and for scheduling purposes he will inform the ERRS contractor of the intent to begin the removal action on or about 12/1/05.

Key issues are the mobilization of crew and equipment to the Site to begin the removal action, setting up repository for the administrative record, and publishing the public notice.