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 current time there are no removal activities taking place.  The Action Memo has been approved, an ERRS contractor has been selected to perform the removal action, and the current owner has signed an access agreement authorizing EPA to conduct the removal action.

Tentative plans are in effect for the OSC and ERRS Response Manager to conduct a Site familiarization tour during the week of 11/7 to identify a suitable location for the command post and crew trailer, and to locate an electrical drop-point to the trailers.

Tentative date for partial crew mobilization to Site to prepare for removal activities is on or about 11/18/05.

In the interim time, the OSC will have a Technical Direction Document (TDD) issued to the START contractor to set-up the Administrative Record Repository in a local library, and to write a public notice for local newspaper publication.

None at the present time.