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NPL Site Narrative for Sinclair Refinery
SINCLAIR REFINERY
Wellsville, New York
Federal Register Notice: September 8, 1983Conditions at listing (July 1982): The Sinclair Refinery Site in Wellsville, New York, is a 100-acre refinery that closed in 1963. Throughout the operation and dismantling of the refinery, various types of wastes (including cloth filters, fuller's earth, oil sludges, contaminated soil, and fly ash) were disposed of in a 10-acre landfill adjacent to the Genesee River. In addition, oil and other materials from spills when the refinery was in operation have apparently saturated much of the soil in the 90-acre refinery portion of the site. These materials are leaching into the Genesee River.
Wellsville draws its drinking water from the Genesee River about 0.5 mile downstream of the site. The river has changed course and is now eroding the edge of the disposal area. Oily material enters the Genesee River, and debris from the site litters the banks of the river downstream of the disposal area. The oily material has been detected in raw water entering the Wellsville water treatment plant. The State found mercury, PCBs, and oil components in samples collected at the site. The contaminants may be entering ground water, which supplies about 1,600 nearby residents.
Status (July 1983): EPA recently completed a Remedial Action Master Plan outlining the investigations needed to determine the full extent of cleanup required at the site.
The State applied to EPA for a $780,000 Cooperative Agreement to do remedial investigations/feasibility studies. The first is to select a method for stabilizing the eroding landfill and install gates and warning signs to limit access. The second is to evaluate and select a remedial solution for the entire site.
As a temporary means of stabilizing the landfill, the State has constructed a channel to accommodate a 2-year frequency flood.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.