New clean-up method eyed 16 years after spill

PCE seen as threat to water near Kirkwood, Conklin wells

A company taking responsibility for a hazardous spill at the Kirkwood Industrial Park is testing a new approach to cleaning it, almost 16 years after it happened.

YRC Worldwide Enterprise Services is evaluating the effectiveness of using bacteria to break down pollution in the ground after approximately 100 gallons of cleaning solvent spilled in 1991 at a loading dock at 97 Industrial Park Road in the Town of Kirkwood.

Plans, filed with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, also call for collecting air samples from inside a trucking terminal at the site to see if chemical vapors are seeping into the building from the subterranean pollution.

A plume of the chemical, tetrachloroethylene, threatens an aquifer that feeds nearby municipal wells, despite attempts to clean it over the years. Since the spill, crews have removed 120 tons of contaminated dirt, installed wells to track the underground movement of the chemicals, and built a large vacuum system to extract chemical vapors from the ground.

An investigation overseen by the DEC in 2000 found the chemical, also known as PCE, at 1,500 parts per billion in the groundwater 20 feet below where it was spilled near the south end of the industrial park. The federal and state clean-up standard for PCE pollution is 5 parts per billion.

The pollution crept 100 feet south of the property line, according to DEC records. It is less concentrated -- 100 parts per billion or less -- further away from the spill site.

The pollution, which is known to cause cancer in people who are exposed to it, is well underground, according to DEC reports. But it is classified as Class II on the state's registry of hazardous waste sites, which means it "poses an immediate threat to public health or the environment."

One reason for the classification is that it is near underground water supplies that feed public wells in Kirkwood and Conklin. So far, the pollution has not shown up in the wells, although there is concern that it could if it is not addressed.

Maureen Wren, a spokeswoman for the DEC, said it has taken time to figure out the long-range cleanup plan and who would pay for it. The DEC is in the process of issuing a consent order to YRC to get the job finished, she said late last week. The consent order is both a mandate and a blueprint on what has to be done.

YRC representatives could not be reached for comment.