All this stuff HAS to go SOMEWHERE...
2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010
South Hill Sewer Lines - Click on the map for a PDF version.
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Many of the successful industries on South Hill (Morse Chain, NCR, and Therm, among them) have involved metal fabrication, which involves oils for cutting, finishing, and lubricating, and solvents to remove oil residues from in-process and finished parts, as well as from the scrap left behind. Cutting
oils used in processing the metal parts were found everywhere -
coating the finished parts and dripping off the pieces of scrap
and shavings which were hauled in bins from the plant to recycling
centers. PCBs were found in this oil, and as our knowledge of the
problems with PCBs grew (in the mid- and late 20th Century), so
did concern about the oil runoff from the plants. The volumes of metal, cutting oils, solvents, and water that moved through the plant sites are large. The amounts of metal scrap and the oil it was treated with are the subject of ongoing discussions between Morse staff and County Health officials (see here), and the solvents used and the water taken in and discharged by the plant are detailed in the 1981 application Morse filed for a discharge permit. A schematic water-flow diagram from that application is here. |
DEC
"South Hill Study Area" |
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Over the past few years, much attention has been given to ways to better understand the ramifications of the fractured bedrock on which our South Hill neighborhoods sit. While there have been repeated groundwater tests at particular points and depths, and all manner of soil vapor tests throughout the area, the questions of how has the TCE so prevalent in so many different areas, and how has it been transported are still difficult to answer. The efforts to improve our understanding represent combinations of geology, hydrology, chemistry, physics, economics, and politics. One theory that has been advanced is that of "preferential pathways" - fractures in or disruptions in the underlying bedrock caused by construction - especially the installation of sewer lines. A highlight of the DEC South Hill Area map above (more easily seen in the larger versions of the map) is the "NCR Sewer" and the "Sewer Lateral" which runs across South Aurora Street (Danby Road). Whether the toxins found around these sewer lines were carried IN the sewers (and leaked out) or simply were carried through the openings in the bedrock which were created to install the sewers, these toxins are still present in distressingly high levels in samples taken from soil along the length of the sewers themselves. Though Emerson has gone to great effort to document the problems around the "NCR Sewer", there are similar problems along the sewer lines running from the plant site down Turner Place and down South Cayuga Street. EPT has not produced any plant records detailing just where the 1200 gallons per week of TCE (the estimated usage in the mid-1970s) went after they were used for degreasing operations. It would seem that some fraction went down the sewers (whether intentionally or inadvertently) and some may have leaked into the shallow depths of glacial till and into the bedrock below it In October 2005, this Report was issued by Forrest Environmental Services, Inc. on the Electrical Resistivity (ER) imaging tests performed at the EPT site in early July 2005 and again in late September 2005. The report describes the theory of the dipole arrays and measurements, and how they suggest patterns of water and different substances under the ground surface. The results indicate various "conductive anomalies" which "appear to be saturated fractures." A somewhat fleshed-out version of the FESI report states "The size and position of the mapped features in the resulting profiles may be slightly offset from their actual locations in the subsurface but still represent the overall pattern of bedrock features and, thus, are consistent with the approach of a low resolution survey of the site." "The results of the geophysical survey reveal a complex geologic and hydrogeologic network." "This preferential flow through the openings often results in greater groundwater flow velocities (as compared to flow through the rock matrix) and can yield unexpectedly tortuous flow paths depending upon the level of connectivity between the various openings in the rock. The pathways by which the ground water flows through bedding plane fractures, joints, faults, or all of the above at the EPT facility is not directly addressed by this survey." (The graphic results are here.) In this "Onsite Assessment", ESC reviews various maps and previous environmental reports to try to piece together the history of operations in the various buildings. "The solvent TCE, was reportedly used to clean metal parts and scrap metal in conveyor type vapor degreasers located on the ground floor of the main plant building (Building 4 - 507 Degreasing Department). Only one of three areas requiring "oily soil remediation" was treated to a point that it met applicable standards. SVOCs and PCBs were found in the soil remaining after various corroded drums ("discovered" in Dec. 2004) and other pieces of scrap were removed. Activities once performed in various sections of the plant (mostly no longer used) include solvent degreasing and recovery, copper and cadmium plating. One degreasing using was the "source of an unknown amount of solvent released to the sanitary sewer system", though its exact location is unknown. Oil leaking from scrap was captured in scrap loading area but there were discharges which were detected in the South Cayuga St. sewer and in the outcrops along West Spencer Street. There was a "Cyanide Room Drainage Trench", and acid pickling tanks. There were coal piles and four "below grade oil quench pits" which are no longer in service, though a fifth quench oil pit is still in use. Various underground storage tanks are no longer in use and have been closed in accordance with NYSDEC regulations. Many of the aboveground storage tanks still remain in service, but ten tanks, including a 100,000-gallon fuel oil tank, have been removed. Potential migration of chemicals from offsite sources (including Therm, NCR/Axiohm, and various other spill sites) is also reported. Test samples in the Axiohm disposal area show high levels of TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, vinyl chloride, SVOCs and metals. 21 specific "Areas of Concern" throughout the EPT site are detailed, as are the sewer lines down Turner Place and South Cayuga Street, and "seven potential migration pathways" identified on old maps. In January 2006 - in the two days just AFTER the Public Meeting, ESC released two reports which had not been discussed at the open meeting - this description of a plan to investigate soil surrounding the two sanitary sewer lines running down Turner Place from the EPT site - one called the 1878 Line and the other called the 1979 Line. There would be 24 borings just to the west of each of the lines, spaced about 100 feet apart, with soil samples analyzed in the field for VOCs using a photo ionization detector and then shipped to a lab for further analysis, and this letter from ESC to DEC reporting the results of Nov. 18, 2005 vadose zone tests performed along the "NCR sewer" line which runs downhill on the east side of the plant site. The highest values found were for TCE with a reading of 477 ug/m^3 at the downhill end, near where the line runs to South Aurora Street, and 536 ug/m^3 at the uphill end where it enters the EPT site. On May 19, ESC released a notice to Turner Place Residents stating the their proposed work plan to investigate the Turner Place sanitary sewer lines has been approved. The work will involve drilling soil borings in the public rights of way to test whether historic releases of site related compounds have occurred from these sewer lines. The work was performed during the week of June 5, 2006. "A
brief summary" prepared by EPT describing: Dated July 28, 2006, this ESC Report and associated map detail the results of soil tests performed along Turner Place June 6-8, 2006. Some of the samples are listed for depths as shallow as "0.5 - 2 Ft." and others are as deep as "6 - 8 Ft." There are many chemicals sampled and we see the same wide variations in test values that we've seen in the house air tests. The highest TCE levels are at the intersection of Columbia Street with Turner Place. This correlates with some of the higher sub-slab TCE readings in the homes above and below the west side of the intersection. The highest readings were found in sample locations between two of the homes with the highest subslab TCE levels: 207 South Hill Terrace and 316 Turner Place. This intersection is also the spot where the overloading of the storm sewer system has been most evident. During heavy rains, the manhole cover near the intersection levitates with water that the sewer cannot contain. The ongoing Aurora Street sewer project is supposed to remedy this, by connecting a 24" diameter sewer line to the Town of Ithaca line which comes down Aurora Street. This new line will start at the intersection of Columbia and Aurora and run down to the Wastewater Treatment facility behind Aldi's. The existing 14" diameter line will continue to serve the "local" neighborhood needs. With the high TCE readings noted in the "NCR Sewer line" running from the EPT plant property to South Aurora Street, one can only wonder how much TCE has been carried through these sewer lines, and where it has settled. On October 20, "WSP Environmental Strategies LLC" (the new name for Environmental Strategies Consulting LLC) released this summary of Results of "Packer testing and sampling" performed onsite August 14 - 23, 2006. The tests hoped to explore the nature of open horizontal bedding plane fractures present in extraction wells EW-1 and EW-3 at approximately 52 feet below the top of each well. "The packer testing results indicate that the bedding fracture identified at 52 feet is a transport pathway for groundwater below the current remediation. The results suggest that the horizontal bedding plane fracture has been intersected by a vertical conduit (joint set), which allows affected groundwater to migrate downward to the bedding fracture plane... the upper C-zone and B-zone wells are not in direct hydraulic connection with the deeper extraction wells." On November 27, WSP released this Supplemental Geophysical Survey - a 225-page report, with all manner of theory and discussions of the additional Electrical Resistivity tests, with results displayed with various colorful graphs. Fields notes and tables of points along the various lines are included, as are notes of anomalies found. Unfortunately, there is no discussion about what all this might mean in terms of changes to be made in testing or remediation efforts. WSP Releases EPT "Supplemental Remedial Investigation" Work Plan WSP
Environmental Strategies has submitted a Supplemental
Remedial Investigation Work Plan, dated June 29, 2007, on behalf
of Emerson, responding to the changes requested by the NYSDEC in
a letter dated May 31 (below). The report is lengthy, attempting
(as requested by NYSDEC) to coordinate more of the intended activities
into single planning documents. The Plan discusses: In
addition to the Work Plan text (discussed above), WSP released various
maps: WSP
also released a suggested Project
Schedule (timeline) and their comprehensive set of relevant
"Standard
Operating Procedures". We offer our sincere thanks to WSP
for the timely availability of these documents. Supplemental Remedial Investigation Report Released by WSP/EPT A comprehensive report on the 2007 tests and studies performed by Emerson's consultants, WSP Environmental Strategies has been released, and an electronic copy was provided to us by the NYSDEC - Thank you! The report discusses the findings of tests performed in and around the "Areas of Concern" on the EPT site, the continuing investigations into the "Fire Water Reservoir" (see Figure 8), the evaluation of the bedrock under the plant (which extends into our neighborhoods) and the results of soil vapor tests throughout the study area, including the Phase VI expansion area, bounded by Columbia Street, Turner Place, Prospect Street, and South Aurora St. (see Figures 13-14) There are discussions, tables of results, maps, and "conceptual block diagrams" of the bedrock. Much attention is placed on the "NCR Sewer", which has been the site of high TCE readings where it runs along the EPT plant site and South Aurora Street. These new readings confirm the path of pollution along Aurora Street, Columbia Street, Turner Place and down to East Spencer Street. The readings also confirm the suspicion that TCE has been leaking all along from the Fire Reservoir area down the hill into our neighborhood. We look forward to analysis of the raft of new material by the representatives of NYSDEC and NYSDOH at the next Public Meeting. BORG WARNER CONSULTANTS POINT BLAME AT NCR, THERM Borg Warner and their lawyers retained Roux Associates, consultants who have released an evaluation of the EPT site and surrounding areas. They look at the contents of toxins sampled from sanitary sewers at various points on the hill, and develop "Soil Vapor Signatures" which are associated with the various sites. They contend that much of the pollution found down near the bottom of the hill (North of Columbia Street and along East Spencer Street) comes from NCR and Therm, rather than from the EPT site. Their report appears to ignore the distinction between the City's sanitary sewers and the storm sewers - the storm sewers are the ones into which Morse operations discharged toxins over the years. The full report is over 64 MB, but it is here for download. The text section alone is here. The data tables are here. There are no maps of the storm sewers, but these maps show the sanitary sewers and the calculated "Soil Vapor Signatures". (The JPG files are the smallest in size. The PDF and TIF formats are much larger. The maps are 36"x24" full-size.)
PUBLIC MEETING DISCUSSES PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO 1994 "RECORD OF DECISION"; SEWERS CONSIDERED MAIN PATH Interested neighbors, City officials, and members of the media met with representatives of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the NYS Department of Health (DOH) on in two sessions on March 5th, to discuss the proposed amendments to the 1994 "Record of Decision" and the steps proposed to "upgrade" the clean-up efforts on the Emerson Power Transmission (EPT) site. The agency officials expressed their belief that the "infamous" Fire Water Reservoir still needs to be cleaned up, but the main source of the soil vapors now intruding into neighborhood homes seems to be the sewers. EPT admits that TCE was dumped into the sewers running down South Cayuga Street and Turner Place. Test readings along those sewer lines remain high. Test readings along Columbia Street and East Spencer Street are also high, but the toxins in those lines also include contaminants from the Therm and NCR/Axiohm sites. The remediation of the sewers is expected to be proposed in the next months and will be the subject of an additional Public Meeting. Expansion of the areas in which homes and the soils under them will be tested will also continue. Susan Shearer of the NYS DOH commented on testing the vapor exposure pathways into the various neighborhoods: "We follow wherever the data takes us and we haven't stopped yet." Tests have been performed along South Aurora Street already and released to the homeowners. Results of preliminary tests along the sewer lines from Therm have just been received and are being evaluated. Krisy Gashler's Ithaca Journal summary of the meeting is here. An Adobe PDF version of the slide show presented by the NYS officials is here. The Amendment document is here - a 3.4 MB PDF. Public comments in written form are invited, and should be sent to the DEC's Gregg Townsend by March 20. We are grateful to Gregg for providing us with these documents as well as the slide show copy. Krisy Gashler's initial Ithaca Journal report on the Amendment release is here. The Remedial steps discussed in the Amendment are limited to changes ON-SITE at Emerson. They have already "upgraded" the groundwater extraction system which has been attempting to remove contaminants from the Fire Reservoir Area since the early 1990s. A plan is in place to better evaluate the system's effectiveness. The document notes that In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) is proposed for the initial cleanup of the "Former Department 507 Degreaser" area groundwater, followed by Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA). This is proposed with various tests needed to determine if the groundwater is really being cleaned up and to what extent nearby groundwater is affected. The contaminated soils in this area simply will be capped in place, with various restrictions implemented to limit access and use, to avoid disturbing the encapsulated contaminants. Other areas on the plant grounds will be capped with asphalt to try to keep the contaminants from reaching the ground surface, while some areas which now have "a weathered petroleum product" will be excavated and removed. Basements of on-site buildings into which the contaminants have been leaking will be sealed and caulked. Building 24 (once home to some operations of the PRI and other non-profit groups) will be abandoned and access to it restricted. Though the Amendment document discusses (on page 6) the residual contamination of the Turner Place and South Cayuga Street sewers and acknowledges the adverse impact on air quality in neighboring homes, no solutions or proposed remedial steps are presented. The document states:
Though it was released on April 23, 2009 as a part of the Axiohm cleanup effort, the "Final Immediate Soil Vapor Investigation (ISVI) and Vapor Intrusion Summary Report" contains many details of the various tests performed along the various sewer lines on South Hill and within the structures nearby. Links to the entire report, as well as to the sections of it, are at the bottom of this section. Links to "Addendum Appendix G" - released in May 2010 are here.
The following excerpts are from sections of the ISVI document which discuss the soil vapor test results - those tests performed OUTDOORS, in streets, driveways, lawns and other areas. The locations of these test points are shown in the map in Figure 4. The results are shown (superimposed onto sectional maps) in Figures 9-A, 9-B, 9-C, and 9-D. (These are all PDF files.) SOIL VAPOR RESULTS
Southern Portion of Sanitary Sewer System (See Figure 9-A.)
Central Portion of Sanitary Sewer System (See Figure 9-B.)
Northern Portion of Sanitary Sewer System (See Figure 9-C.)
Eastern Portion of Sanitary Sewer System (See Figure 9-D.)
STRUCTURES RESULTS: SUB-SLAB AND INDOOR AIR Sub-slab Vapor and Indoor Air Sampling Results (See Figures 10-A and 10-B.)
Structure 06
Structure 07
Structure 09
Structure 10
Structure 11
The "Final Immediate Soil Vapor Investigation and Vapor Intrusion Summary Report" is 1447 pages long. If you want the entire 89 MB PDF file, click here. Otherwise, there are smaller PDF sections available below: Cover Page Links to "Addendum Appendix G" - released in May 2010 are here. Though Emerson has gone to great effort to document the problems around the "NCR Sewer", there are similar problems along the sewer lines running from the plant site down Turner Place and down South Cayuga Street. EPT has not produced any plant records detailing just where the 1200 gallons per week of TCE (the estimated usage in the mid-1970s) went after they were used for degreasing operations. It would seem that some portion went down the sewers (whether intentionally or inadvertently) and some may have leaked into the shallow depths of glacial till and into the bedrock below it. The test results along sewers all over South Hill show that there are still concentration of these toxins along and above the sewer lines. After all manner of very sophisticated tests involving ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity and a lot of drill and analysis of boring samples, Emerson's consultants, WSP, released this document: Unfortunately, the report's recommendations are not very substantial or extensive: they propose to remove at 300-foot section of sewer line along East Spencer Street, starting at the intersection with Turner Place. It would be replaced with new sewer line, clean surrounding fill and a venting pipe to try to be sure that any lingering fumes around the sewer would be released to the air. Despite evidence that the levels of toxins around and under the neighborhood homes vary over time, they seem to rule out blanket mitigation for homes around those which now have mitigation systems, and do not propose any steps for the sewer line from Columbia Street down to East Spencer, nor for the sewers along South Cayuga Street, even though these sewers have been referred to frequently as pathways for the toxins. 2010
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