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General Motors (central Foundry Division)

Other Names:
G.M. Massena

Site Description

The 270acre General Motors (Central Foundry Division) site originally was built to produce aluminum cylinder heads for the Chevrolet Corvair and has been in operation since 1958. From 1959 to 1974, the plant used polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as a component of the hydraulic fluids in its die casting process. Although GM no longer uses die casting in its processes, they continue to manufacture engine blocks at the Massena plant. In the early 1960s, GM installed a reclamation system to recover used hydraulic fluid. PCB sludges periodically were landfilled in onsite areas and also remain in the bottoms of several lagoons. The site contains approximately 850,000 cubic yards of PCBcontaminated material.

On the GM facility, contamination is located in two disposal areas, called the North Disposal Area and the East Disposal Area, an Industrial Landfill, and four Industrial Lagoons. The Industrial Landfill was also used for the disposal of foundry sand, excavated soil, and other solid industrial wastes. In 1971, approximately 800,000 gallons of PCBcontaminated sludge were removed from two Industrial Lagoons and were deposited in the North Disposal Area. From 1973 to 1975, GM again removed PCBcontaminated sludge from the Lagoons and transferred it to a sludge settling basin in the East Disposal Area. Miscellaneous soils on the facility are also contaminated with PCBs.

The site is bordered by the St. Lawrence River, the St. Regis Mohawk Nation, the Raquette River, and the Reynolds Metals Company. There are approximately 4,000 Mohawks living in the adjacent territory referred to as Akwesasne. The City of Cornwall, Ontario, with approximately 50,000 residents, is 2 miles north across the river, and the Village of Massena, with a population of 13,000, is located 7 miles to the east.

Due to past wastewater discharges into surface water, St. Lawrence and Raquette River sediments have been contaminated with PCBs. In addition, soil and sediment on the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation has been contaminated by runoff from the Site. Groundwater beneath the Site has been contaminated with PCBs and volatile organic compounds.

Site Responsibility:

This site is being addressed through Federal and potentially responsible parties' actions.

NPL LISTING HISTORY

Proposed Date: 09/01/83
Final Date: 09/01/84

Threats and Contaminants

PCBs were found in monitoring wells on the eastern side of the facility and in onsite soil and sediment samples from the St. Lawrence River. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found in groundwater directly under the site and off site. The consumption of fish or wildlife from contaminated areas is of special concern because of the proximity of the Mohawk Indian Reservation. Fishing is restricted by the State Health Department and the Indian Reservation Administration. Individuals ingesting or touching contaminated surface water, groundwater, soil, sludges, or sediments potentially are at risk. Public water supply systems are not contaminated.

Cleanup Approach

This site is being addressed in three stages: immediate actions and two longterm remedial phases focusing on cleanup of river system sediments, the North Disposal Area, the Industrial Lagoons, Reservation and facility soils, and groundwater and cleanup of the Industrial Landfill and East Disposal Area.

Response Action Status

Immediate Actions: GM, under the EPA's oversight, agreed to place a temporary cap on the Industrial Landfill in 1987 to prevent the migration of contaminants from the Landfill.

North Disposal Area, River Sediments, Lagoons, Soils, and Groundwater: The cleanup remedy that was selected by the EPA in 1990 includes dredging and excavating contaminated materials, followed by onsite treatment and disposal of residual contamination using biological treatment or other innovative technologies and groundwater extraction and treatment. GM completed dredging of contaminated St. Lawrence River sediments in fall 1995 effectively removing 23,000 tons of PCB contaminated sediments from the St. Lawrence River. Additionally, approximately 14,500 tons of PCB-contaminated site soils were excavated . Additional cleanup activities, including the installation of the groundwater collection and treatment system, dredging of the Raquette River and removal of stockpiled sediments are scheduled to begin in 1999. Dredging of sediments on the St. Regis Mohawk reservation and excavation of contaminated Tribal soils has been delayed due to the denial of access to Tribal property.

Industrial Landfill and East Disposal Area: The final cleanup remedy that was selected by the EPA in 1992 includes excavating highly contaminated materials from the East Disposal Area followed by onsite treatment and disposal of residual contamination using biological treatment or other innovative technologies, capping the Industrial Landfill and less contaminated material in the East Disposal Area, and groundwater containment. GM began engineering design of this remedy in summer 1992. Additional data will be collected in the Spring and Summer of 1999 to further support the selected remedy and design. A temporary multi-layer cap was installed in 1987 thus preventing the potential for further environmental exposure to 297,000 tons of PCB contaminated wastes.

Site Facts: The EPA and GM negotiated a Consent Order in 1985, requiring GM to conduct an investigation into the type and extent of contamination at the site. In March 1992, EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order to GM requiring GM to undertake design and implementation of the final remedy for the North Disposal Area, River Sediments, Lagoons, Soils, and Groundwater. In August 1992, EPA issued a second Unilateral Administrative Order to GM requiring GM to undertake design and implementation of the final remedy for the East Disposal Area and Industrial Landfill. GM is currently complying with both Orders.

In 1994, GM requested that EPA re-evaluate the amount of treatment required in its cleanup decisions for the North Disposal Area, river sediments, lagoons, and soils. EPA reviewed data provided by GM to determine whether material in these areas could be contained, rather than treated. In July 1995, EPA released a Proposed Plan which proposed a change in the treatment threshold for the North Disposal Area, river sediments, lagoons, and soils. The Plan did not propose to make any changes to the cleanup levels previously selected for the Site. Due to overwhelming public opposition, EPA withdrew that Proposed Plan and in September 1998 issued a revised Proposed Plan to allow for the off-site disposal, rather than treatment of River sediments and soils excavated during the installation of groundwater controls. That Proposed Plan was supported by the public, particularly the Tribe and will be formalized into a Record of Decision by December 31, 1998.

Environmental Progress

By capping the 297,000 tons of PCB-contaminated wasted in the Industrial Landfill, the potential for further contamination of the General Motors (Central Foundry Division) site and risk from exposure to hazardous materials have been reduced while the selected final cleanup activities are being implemented. By dredging 23,000 tons of PCB-contaminated sediments from the St. Lawrence River system, the potential for continued contamination of edible fish and wildlife is reduced.

Site Repository

St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Community Building, Hogansburg, NY 13655

Massena Public Library, 41 Glen Street, Massena, NY 13662

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