New York Superfund Site: Sinclair Refinery
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Do you need a Toxic Tort Attorney in The Empire State? The U.S. E.P.A. has designated Sinclair Refinery in New York as a Superfund site because of its amounts of environmental toxins and threat to the natural world. You can read the report for the site below.
Some Superfund sites are on the National Priority Site Lists. The National Priorities List ("NPL") is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on the NPL. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation.
Sites are listed on the NPL upon completion of Hazard Ranking System (HRS) screening, public solicitation of comments about the proposed site, and after all comments have been addressed. EPA may delete a final NPL site if it determines that no further response is required to protect human health or the environment. Sites where a remediation was completed through the Superfund program are typically deleted from the NPL.
Living near Superfund Sites in New York may place you and your loved ones more vulnerable to developing a disease from proximity to the site and experiencing a loss of value for your property, but action is being taken to fight back: The EPA says,
[We have] set up a "Post Construction Completion" (or PCC) strategy to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. EPA's Post Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and/or reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection of human health and the environment.Despite this, most of the Superfund sites are still very dangerous to the well-being of those near-by.
The lawyers of Weitz & Luxenberg, you will get the legal ability of accomplished Toxic Tort attorneys who will help fight back against polluters and get you and the people you love the compensation and environmental remediation to which you are entitled.
Below you can read the EPA report for the Sinclair Refinery Superfund site. If you, a loved one, or someone in your community has suffered due to toxic pollution in Sinclair Refinery, or if your property has lost value because of contamination, you are better off with a toxic tort lawyer who knows the people of the State of New York . Take your first step filling out this simple form. There is no obligation, and your case will be evaluated within 24 hours. To refer a friend, neighbor, or loved one, follow this link to let them know about the environmental toxic tort attorneys at Weitz & Luxenberg.
Sinclair Refinery
This site is not a Federal Facility.
Sinclair Refinery
New York
Epa Region 2
Site Description
ry site covers approximately 100 acres adjacent to the west bank of the
quarter mile south of downtown Wellsville. The refinery was built in the
late 1800's and operated by the Wellsville Refining Company until 1919 when the Sinclair
fining Company (now the Atlantic Richfield Company, or ARCO) purchased the property
and operated the refinery until 1958, when a fire ended operations. After closure of the
refinery, a majority of the property was transferred to the Village of Wellsville,
subsequently conveyed land parcels to various entities, including the State University of
New York and the several companies now occupying the site. Various types of wastes
including cloth filters, oil sludges, contaminated soil, pesticides, heavy
the landfill area of the site consisted of a 9
landfill area of the site is located at the extreme southern end of the site, along the west
bank of the Genesee River, approximately 1 and 1/4 miles upstream from the Village of
ake pipe. The EPA, the State, and ARCO relocated the
town's river water intake to a point upstream of the landfill in 1988, so that any contaminants
entering the river through erosion of the landfill would no longer threaten the water supply.
Before any steps to remediate the site were initiated, the river was slowly eroding the
ground under the landfill, creating the potential for contamination of off
the river's flood waters were high enough to reach the landfill. Approximately 6
live within a mile of the landfill. Several businesses and the State University of New York at
Alfred's Wellsville Campus are located on the refinery portion of the Sinclair property.
Approximately 500 people use the buildings located on this
Site Responsibility:
Threats and Contaminants
Groundwater and soils contain volatile o
compounds, and heavy metals. Potential human exposure from drinking water has been
eliminated as a result of the relocation of the Wellsville Water Treatment Plant intake pipe.
minated groundwater at the site could present a risk.
Prolonged exposure to contaminated dust from isolated "hot spots" on site were determined
Cleanup Approach
The site is being addressed in three stages: immed
phases focusing on stabilization of the landfill and source control in the refinery area of the
Response Action Status
Immediate Actions:
In 1983, ARCO removed approximately 10 loose drums f
Genesee River. In 1983, the State of New York diverted the Genesee River away from the
eroding face of the landfill and placed dredged material there as temporary protection
against erosion. Later in 1983, the Village of Wellsville, Allegany Coun
New York stabilized the berm constructed to divert the Genesee River to protect the eroding
landfill. In 1988, the Town's river water intake was relocated upstream from the landfill.
Stabilization of the Landfill:
eroding landfill: (1) remove approximately 300 drums from the landfill and dispose of them
acre South Landfill Area; (3) place clean fill in the
excavated wastes into the Central Elevated Landfill Area;
(5) cap consolidated wastes in the Central Elevated Landfill Area; (6) partially channelize
the Genesee River to protect the landfill from erosion or flooding; and (7) construct a fence
ntire landfill to secure it. The EPA approved the designs to implement the river
channelization portion of the remedy in February 1990 and the landfill consolidation portion
in September 1990. Fieldwork commenced in 1990, and both of these activities wer
completed in 1991. The design of the cap for the consolidated landfill was completed at the
end of 1991, with site construction activity commencing in 1992. Construction of the landfill
Source Control/Refinery Site:
The EPA selected the following remedies to address the
refinery portion of the site in a Record of Decision signed in 1991: (1) the excavation of
surface soil "hot spots" which exceed healthbased cleanup criteria and their disposal in the
Landfill Area; (2) pumping contaminated groundwater and treating it to
based levels before discharge; and (3) monitoring site media, including the
groundwater and surface water, for any possible contaminant migration. ARCO agreed to
soils remedy as per an order signed by the EPA in May 1992. The
excavation and consolidation of surface soils commenced in 1992 and was completed in
1993. ARCO agreed to implement the groundwater remedy as per an order signed by the
and soil vapor extraction for mass contaminant removal for the subsurface, was designed in
1994 and placed in operation in 1995. The system was implemented through early
ough 150,000 pounds of contaminant mass was removed during Phase 1
operations, EPA determined that a Phase 2 groundwater remedy was necessary to address
remaining areas of subsurface contamination, notably in the riverbank and riverbed of the
adjacent to a portion of the site and in the main drainage swale.
Additionally, groundwater beneath the site remains above drinking water standards
mandating further treatment and protection of the river. As such, a Phase 2 investigation
n early 2004 and a design is currently in development. Elements of the
Phase 2 design include physical barriers to protect site contaminants from entering the
river, the removal of contaminant hot spots from the riverbed and drainage swale, and a
site groundwater. The design is expected to be completed by the
Other Actions:
Three removal actions were completed at the site between 1991 and 1995.
These actions included the demolition and removal of an asbestos
building associated with former refinery operations, including
foot
concrete and brick smokestack and the excavation and removal of two underground storage
tanks uncovered in the process of the powerhouse removal. A
separator was decommissioned and removed from the site and a drum removal was
performed at a building used as a storage facility by a previous site occupant.
Site Facts:
Once completed, all potential threats to human health and the environment will be
Cleanup Progress
The removal of many sources of contamination and actions taken to
ite safer. The following summarizes cleanup progress for the two operable units:
OU1: In 1985, the EPA issued a Record of Decision which established the consolidation
and capping of two small landfills and partial channelization of the adjacent Genesee
as the remedy for OU1. All remedial activities under OU1 were completed by 1994, with
approximately 464,640 tons (290,400 cubic yards) of waste material contained within the
OU2: In 1991, the EPA issued a Record of Decision which establi
disposal of surface soils exceeding the remedial cleanup criteria for arsenic and lead and
the treatment of contaminated site groundwater as the remedy for OU2. Completion of the
surface soils excavation was accomplished in 1994, w
24,000 tons (15,000 cubic yards) of contaminated soil. Groundwater treatment
, accomplished primarily through air sparging and soil
vapor extraction, was initiated in 1995 and
over 150,000 pounds of subsurface contamination
addresses continued groundwater treatment, protection of the Genesee River, and the
removal of isolated contaminant hot spots is currently in design. Completion of the Phase 2
permanently mitigate contaminant migration from the site and
Site Repository
5 North Main Street, Wellsville, New York, 14895.
source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Act Now! It is essential that you inquire about your pollutant lawsuit as soon as possible. New York law may limit your time to bring a legal claim to protect your rights. Your legal review is free and there is no commitment. You case will be evaluated immediately, so get started on your claim today!
see also:
Sealand Restoration, Inc.
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Environmental Pollution in New York- Site: Sms Instruments, Inc.Sms Instruments, Inc. Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
Sa - Sz
New York Superfund Sites: Sa - SzNew York Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
