Investigation Begins at New Windsor Superfund Site

NEW WINDSOR – The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) will soon begin a detailed environmental study at the 251 Walsh Road site in New Windsor
The investigation work plan, called a “Remedial Investigation Work Plan (RIWP),” was developed and submitted by a NYSDEC consultant, HRP A ssociates, under New York’s State Superfund Program. The site is listed as a Class “2” site in the State Registry of Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites (list of State Superfund sites). A Class 2 site represents a significant threat to public health or the environment; action is required. NYSDEC and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) will oversee the investigation.

The investigation will define the nature and extent of contamination in soil, soil vapor, surface water and groundwater and any other parts of the environment that may be affected. Past investigations in the area have determined that chlorinated solvent contamination exists at the site. Tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE) and other chlorinated compounds were detected in overburden soil and groundwater.

PCE and TCE contamination is often associated with electronics manufacturing operations. Key components of the investigation work include: Installing and sampling of soil borings to identify possible on-site sources of contamination; Collecting soil vapor, sub-slab soil vapor and indoor air samples; Installing and sampling groundwater wells to monitor impacts from areas of concern on-site; Sampling nearby surface water to monitor impacts to any sensitive receptors.

The information collected during the investigation will be summarized in a report. After the site investigation is complete, HRP, with oversight provided by NYSDEC will conduct a “Feasibility Study.” This study uses information developed during the site investigation to develop and evaluate potential ways to clean up contamination related to the site. The information collected during the site investigation may also support the conclusion that no action, or no further action, is needed to address site-related contamination.

NYSDEC will then develop a draft cleanup plan, called a “Proposed Remedial Action Plan.” This plan describes the remedy preferred by NYSDEC, or, if warranted, a proposal for no action or no further action.The draft cleanup plan explains the decision that led to the preferred remedy by discussing each alternative and the reasons for choosing or rejecting it. The goal of the plan will be to ensure the protection of public health and the environment. NYSDEC will announce the availability of the draft cleanup plan in a future fact sheet, and will present it to the public for its review and comment during a 30-day comment period and at a public meeting.

251 Walsh Road is located at the northeast corner of Walsh Avenue and John Street in New Windsor. The site is located in a mixed-use industrial, commercial, and residential area. The site contains one 18,000 square foot building centrally located on the property. The remainder of the property is mostly paved with some minor landscaping in the front of the building. The site slopes gently to the north but drops off rapidly along the northern boundary. Site drainage flows overland northward towards the adjacent property and then to Quassaic Creek, which is located 1,000 feet to the north of the site. The property is currently zoned industrial. The facility manufactured electronic components between the 1940s and the 1970s. The electronic parts were reportedly cleaned with solvents. Solvents were reportedly stored on-site in a shed that was located on the north side of the building.